Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities experienced by people living in (a) Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and (b) South Yorkshire.

Public Health England (PHE) work alongside the Director of Public Health in Barnsley as well as across the local authority and partners, to help provide evidence, specialist expertise and jointly developed programmes targeted at tackling health inequalities. PHE also carry out this work across South Yorkshire.

PHE is jointly leading on a programme of work to tackle health inequalities with the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Public Health, for example by providing additional specialist senior level capacity to lead on the inclusive economies’ agenda specifically in Barnsley and South Yorkshire.