Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of the communication between Ministers and officials in his Department about NHS England's decision to change the amount of NHS performance data published the Winter Daily Situation Reports for 2015-16.

In line with previous requests of this nature, copies of communications on this issue are not proposed to be placed in the Library, as all communications from officials were for the purpose of providing advice to ministers for their consideration and deliberation. Releasing this information would be likely to inhibit the continued free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.

Based on clinical advice from the NHS England National Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh, the Secretary of State agreed with the recommendation to standardise reporting arrangements. The recommendation came from Sir Bruce Keogh’s review of waiting time standards published in June 2015. The overall approach was agreed in September by the respective chief executives of NHS England, TDA and Monitor with the Secretary of State for Health.