Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department monitors compliance with government targets on waiting times for treatment.

The Department uses the National Health Service performance data published on a monthly basis by NHS England to monitor compliance with waiting times targets for treatment. This information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/

Maintaining waiting time performance is a key objective in the Government’s Mandate to NHS England. Both NHS England and NHS Improvement are providing support and challenge to NHS commissioners and providers to reduce waiting times for hospital treatment.