Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times (a) Government Ministers and (b) Government representatives have met representatives of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust to discuss the new Royal Liverpool Hospital construction since 15th January 2018; and if he will list those meetings.

I visited the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust to discuss construction of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital on 18 May 2018; and held a phone call with the Trust’s Chief Executive on 5 February 2018 on the same subject. The Department does not hold a central record of visits and meetings by Ministers and officials from other Government Departments.

Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care are working closely on this matter with those from Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and continue to have weekly discussions with relevant senior staff of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen NHS Trust and with private sector partners as necessary to ensure that the hospital can be completed as quickly as is possible.