Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on delays in access to NHS services in Northern Ireland.

The Government is committed to ensuring everybody in the UK can access timely healthcare. The operation of the health service in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, but we are supporting the Executive in their efforts to reduce waiting lists and tackle delays to services.

NIO Ministers meet with Executive Ministers on a regular basis and the progress made on tackling waiting lists in Northern Ireland is encouraging, reducing waiting lists by treating an additional 70,000 patients. However, health outcomes in Northern Ireland lag behind the rest of the UK and we will continue to work with the Executive to reduce this gap.