Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 17 September (HL1069), whether Alan Milburn's commercial interests in healthcare were declared to the department when he provided advice to Ministers and officials; and whether the discussions with Ministers and officials included topics which touched on private sector involvement in healthcare.

As the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said in the House of Commons on 9 September 2024, “The right honourable Alan Milburn is a former Member of this House, a member of the Privy Council and a former Health Secretary. There is a clear distinction between inviting people with a wide range of experience and perspectives into the Department to have policy debates and to generate ideas, and having meetings that are about transacting Government business. I can assure the House that nothing commercially sensitive has been shared with Alan Milburn.”

He also said that “transparency matters. That is why meetings in my Department, and their attendees, will be published in the right and proper way on a quarterly basis.” As part of this quarterly return, and in line with guidance, we will be listing the purpose of the meetings.