Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the extent to which clinical commissioning groups are rationing treatments by restricting access to routine surgery for patients who smoke or are clinically obese.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the requirements of their population including obese people and smokers.

In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.