Committee publication · Correspondence · 7 May 2025
Correspondence from the Chair to the Secretary of State for DHSC relating to Written Parliamentary Questions, dated 3 April 2025
From: Procedure Committee
Inquiry: Written Parliamentary Questions: Departmental performance in Session 2024-26
Summary
The Procedure Committee Chair writes to the Health Secretary regarding deteriorating performance in answering written parliamentary questions. After commending improvements in 2023–24, the committee expresses disappointment at a significant regression in the current session, particularly a drop from 78% to 60% in timely Named Day question responses as question volume increased. The Chair has requested the Secretary of State appear before the committee before Whitsun recess.
Key findings
- DHSC Named Day question response timeliness fell from 78% (Feb–May 2024) to 60% (July–December 2024) despite earlier improvements.
- Ordinary question response timeliness also declined from 88% to 76% in the same period.
- The committee previously commended DHSC improvements in the 2023–24 session but notes those gains coincided with lower question volume.
- Performance deterioration is attributed partly to increased question volume and anticipated disruption from bringing NHS England work back into DHSC.
- The committee warned it would not hesitate to request ministerial appearances if performance issues persisted; this letter formalises that request for a pre-Whitsun appearance.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Cat Smith MP, Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Procedure Committee, House of Commons Table Office, NHS England
Notable line
“Given the sustained nature of DHSC's answering performance issues and the potential for further disruption whilst the work of NHS England is brought back into DHSC, I have asked the Committee's clerks to arrange for you to appear before the Committee before the Whitsun recess to discuss this matter.”
Key Quotes
“Having now reviewed the answering performance data for the first part of the current Session, we were disappointed to see that an increase in the volume of questions has resulted in a considerable step 1 Procedure Committee, First Report of Session 2021 – 22 …”
“We are particularly concerned with the significant drop in timely responses to Named Day questions.”
“In our recent Report on answering performance during the 2023 – 24 Session, we stated that we would not hesitate to ask that Ministers appear before us to discuss ongoing performance issues, and to provide assurance as to how these will be quickly and continuously improved.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗