Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on patient outcomes of delaying access to elective surgical procedures on the basis of (a) body weight and (b) smoking status.

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning care that will provide the best possible outcomes for their patients. In doing so, they should take into account best practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. No such assessment has been made by the Department or NHS England.