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DHSC Answers to Written Questions
19 November 2020
Lead MP
Edward Argar
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSParliamentary Procedure
Other Contributors: 20
At a Glance
Edward Argar raised concerns about dhsc answers to written questions in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Edward Argar apologised for the Department of Health and Social Care's recent poor performance in answering parliamentary questions, attributing it to three main challenges: increased volume of PQs due to the pandemic, difficulties in maintaining timely responses amid rapidly changing circumstances, and constraints on policy expertise. Despite these challenges, the Minister committed to a recovery plan involving resource increases and clearing backlogs while prioritising accuracy over speed. He also highlighted the Department's efforts to maintain accountability through regular statements, urgent questions, and debates.
Christchurch
Question
Chope thanked Edward Argar for his response but challenged him on why other Departments can answer named day questions more promptly, asked for a date for clearing the backlog and future compliance guarantees. He also questioned the Department's approach to answering challenging queries.
Minister reply
Argar acknowledged that while other Departments have heavy workloads, they are not leading the pandemic response as his Department is. He clarified that officials do their best under difficult circumstances but admitted there were delays in providing timely and accurate answers.
Justin Madders
Lab
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
Question
Madders thanked Argar for his response and highlighted the inadequacy of performance, citing numerous instances where he had to wait months for answers. He also questioned whether Ministers read and review the responses they sign off. Madders urged the Department to restart NHS England and NHS Digital publications for greater transparency.
Minister reply
Argar acknowledged that while volume has increased significantly due to the pandemic, technical expertise is required beyond administrative resources. He reassured Members that he and other Ministers do read the background of questions and responses, adhering strictly to their obligations under the ministerial code.
Karen Bradley
Con
Staffordshire Moorlands
Question
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch, who is a fellow member of the Procedure Committee. I was pleased to hear the Minister say that the Department takes the answering of questions seriously and invite him to come to the Committee in the next few weeks to explain how he is going to address the backlog.
Minister reply
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for her appreciation. As a former member of the Procedure Committee, I recall when she kindly appeared before the Committee to answer questions on parliamentary questions at the Home Office. I look forward to the reversal of the position in the coming weeks.
Question
I am grateful for the Minister’s answer and appreciate his Department's efforts but request that he asks his colleagues to get a table referenced in a named day question answered to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Ayrshire.
Minister reply
I am again grateful for the tone that the hon. Gentleman adopts. We have adopted an attempt to deal with the oldest questions first, to try to get as up to date as we can. If he or his hon. Friend lets me know the detail of that question, I will be happy to look into what he raises and to get that table to her.
Question
No one could underestimate the challenges that the Department of Health and Social Care faces at the moment. My hon. Friend talked about the review that the Department is undertaking, will he ensure that he shares the lessons learned from that not only with Members but across Government?
Minister reply
I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. Perhaps the best mechanism by which lessons learned can be shared will be through my written response—in due course—to and my appearance before the Procedure Committee, chaired by my right hon. Friend.
Chris Bryant
Lab
Rhondda and Ogmore
Question
On the plus side, because I have the Minister’s and the Secretary of State’s mobile numbers, when I really want an answer, I just text them. To be fair to them, they have been phenomenally helpful at key moments. However, the comms strategy this year has been a complete mess and a disaster, will he tell us when he will publish the national cancer recovery plan?
Minister reply
I am always pleased to receive messages and inquiries from the hon. Gentleman. He raises two important points. The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is working on the national cancer recovery plan at pace.
Mike Wood
Con
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
Question
We have all had enormous increases in constituency correspondence during the pandemic, so I can only imagine what it must be like at the Minister’s Department. However, in looking at how his Department responds to MPs’ questions, will my hon. Friend reassure the House that any changes will not come at the expense of his Department’s excellent parliamentary engagement?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend highlights that the workload from constituents has increased for all Members. I recognise that. It is important that we do our bit in trying to answer questions in as timely a fashion as possible, to assist colleagues in the House with responses to constituents.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Minister for his departmental response to covid-19 and many issues. As one of the Department’s most prolific questioners, I am aware of the pressure on the Minister’s Department to respond to a vast array of complex medical and social issues.
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is indeed a prolific questioner, but his questions are always welcome and to the point. He highlights an important aspect that affects the response of the Department.
Question
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch (Sir Christopher Chope) for raising this matter and recognise the substantial weight on the shoulders of the Department as it leads the charge against this pandemic. Can my hon. Friend confirm that efforts are being made to clear the PQ backlog, but that other communication channels will remain open for MPs?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. She is absolutely right to highlight the other methods of communication. We have been seeking to use every means we can to try to answer colleagues’ questions and to give them the information they need.
Cat Smith
Lab
Lancaster and Wyre
Question
In my time in this House, I have campaigned alongside women and families affected by sodium valproate. Many of the victims feel frustration when written parliamentary questions about the Cumberlege review continue to take a long time to answer—and when those answers come, they are very poor—can he update the tens of thousands of victims on their campaigns for justice?
Minister reply
Again, I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her question and can reassure her that that issue does remain very high on the Department’s agenda.
Bob Blackman
Con
Harrow East
Question
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can my hon. Friend look at the quality of answers to written parliamentary questions and also the repeat questions that have to be asked to clarify the answers given?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. He is absolutely right to talk about the balance between speed and accuracy. In some cases where the issue is complex, a letter may be more appropriate for getting detailed information.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Question
I appreciate the pressures on the Minister's Department, but it grates to hear that Conservative Members can easily get direct responses from Ministers. My questions often take over a month and letters up to five months for replies. Do my constituents have any less of a right to a response?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady has easy access through various calls and briefings. Her constituents have the same rights as others, and they receive the same responses. The Department has received over 63,500 pieces of correspondence this year compared with just 30,000 in 2019. We are increasing resources for both PQ teams and correspondence.
Question
I have tabled questions on suicide prevention on the railways after a recent incident in my constituency. Will the Minister pay tribute to Land Sheriffs, which has prevented close to 300 suicides on the railways?
Minister reply
The Minister will respond promptly to the written questions and is happy to pay tribute to Land Sheriffs for its impressive work preventing suicide on the railways.
Andrew Gwynne
Ind
Gorton and Denton
Question
Of the 28 questions I have tabled, 86% were answered late. The quality of some responses is poor too. Will the Minister consider restarting NHS England and NHS Digital statistical publications that were paused during the pandemic?
Minister reply
The figure for overdue answers may not rise to 88%. The substantive point about restarting NHS statistics will be looked into.
Question
There have been significant opportunities for Members to raise concerns on coronavirus. On 21 October, I asked the Health Secretary for data relating to positive cases among those who had not been in the UK 72 hours before their test. Will he agree to provide that data?
Minister reply
I will check whether the written question from 21 October has been answered overnight and look into it further.
Question
Thanking Mr Speaker for allowing urgent questions, I ask what assessment has been made of the uptake of other forms of communications available?
Minister reply
Other methods of communication have been popular and will continue to be made available. This is not an alternative to written questions or scrutiny in the Chamber.
Question
Does the Minister accept that delays in engaging with Members can ultimately affect their constituents? We recognise both the increased workload on Members and the importance of timely answers.
Minister reply
We acknowledge the challenge but have already put in place capacity for parliamentary questions and correspondence, doubling the former.
Question
The covid situation allows the Government to dodge issues they do not want to answer. I tabled a named day question on 21 October asking for an estimate of false positives and negatives in tests. Yesterday's response said they had no idea, suggesting delay was politically motivated.
Minister reply
We often require information from external bodies or other NHS bodies which can take time.
Chi Onwurah
Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Question
Delays in responding to questions undermine public confidence. In April, I wrote about PPE for care homes; the response came in October. Will he commit to putting in place capacity and resources?
Minister reply
Capacity has already been increased, including doubling PQs and significantly increasing correspondence capacity. However, volume remains high.
Shadow Comment
Christopher Chope
Shadow Comment
Christopher Chope thanked Edward Argar for his response but challenged him on why other Departments can answer named day questions more promptly. He requested a date for clearing the backlog and a guarantee of future compliance with rules, stressing the importance of timely and quality answers in maintaining public trust. Additionally, he questioned the Department's approach to answering challenging queries.
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