Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for disparities in the number of cases of (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis by (i) region and (ii) socioeconomic status.

An assessment in these specific terms has not been made by DHSC. Such information may be available at Integrated Care Board level.

A healthy population reduces pressure on the National Health Service and wider public services and supports a strong economy through increased productivity and labour market participation.

The Government’s ambition is to improve healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035 and reduce the gap between areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030, as per the commitment in the Levelling Up White Paper.

The gap in the number of years people live in good health is stark and unacceptable. Health disparities exist across a wide variety of conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, and contribute to the unacceptable variation in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.