Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to have completed his consideration of recommendation 1 of the Health and Social Care Select Committee's report on the safety of maternity services in England, HC 19, published on 6 July 2021.

The Government response to the Committee’s report set out that we would consider an assessment of midwifery and obstetric workforce levels to inform considerations of future funding. In early 2022, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will provide information on the number of obstetricians at all grades required in maternity units. By June 2022, a complex workforce tool will be developed which can be used by maternity units to calculate the number of obstetricians required. This information will inform considerations of the Committee’s recommendation.