Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have made of the levels of preparedness among clinical commissioning groups (CCG's) for the planned transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities to CCGs in April 2016.

The responsibility for commissioning severe and complex obesity for Tier 4 services will transfer to CCGs in April 2016. This is one of a number of changes in commissioning responsibility which will be managed between NHS England and CCGs. NHS England will be leading on the contracting for services for 2016/17 to facilitate the smooth handover from 1 April 2016.

NHS England is addressing preparedness, both around the technical and financial transfer of budget and contracting responsibility, and supporting CCGs in commissioning of the clinical pathway.

The technical impact of these changes is being modelled and formal agreement within NHS England will occur in mid-December. The formal transfer will be part of the annual national Planning Guidance to commissioners, including CCGs that will be issued in early 2016.