Committee publication · Correspondence · 21 May 2026
Correspondence from the Chair to the Department of Health and Social Care, relating to Written Parliamentary Questions performance, dated 7 April 2026 and the reply, dated 27 April 2026
From: Procedure Committee
Inquiry: Written Parliamentary Questions: Departmental performance in Session 2024-26
Summary
Correspondence between the Procedure Committee Chair and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regarding deteriorating performance in answering Written Parliamentary Questions. The Committee raised concerns that DHSC's performance has worsened from 60% (named day) and 76% (ordinary) in summer 2025 to 55% and 60% respectively, despite prior commitments to improve. DHSC's response cites unprecedented volume increases (nearly doubling to ~90 PQs per day) and ongoing initiatives including AI exploration, but acknowledges falling below the 85% standard.
Key findings
- DHSC named day WPQ performance declined from 60% (July 2025) to 55% (December 2024–November 2025); ordinary questions fell from 76% to 60%, both below the Committee's 85% standard.
- DHSC received 77% more WPQs per sitting day in 2024–25 than 2023–24, with volume doubling to ~90 per day; on 1 September 2025 the Department received 544 PQs in one day, described as a record.
- Prior interventions (updated guidance, internal league tables, chasing complex responses, arm's-length body engagement) implemented in July 2025 failed to arrest the performance decline.
- DHSC identified systemic issues including requests for already publicly available data and repetitive/duplicative questions, and is exploring AI automation; however, final quality assurance and ministerial review cannot be fully automated.
- DHSC estimates the monthly cost of answering PQs exceeds £250,000 (extrapolated from 2012 figure of £164 per question, adjusted for inflation to £236 per question in 2026).
Government position
DHSC partially accepts the Committee's concerns and rejects the implication that performance should meet the 85% standard given volume. The Department acknowledges its proportional response rate falls below the standard but emphasises it answers more WPQs in absolute numbers than any other department. DHSC commits to continued resource bolstering and efficiency innovation (including AI) but resists expanding headcount, citing value-for-money constraints. The Department seeks Committee guidance on making the WPQ system more proportionate and sustainable, and flags the upcoming DHSC–NHS England merger as a context for building parliamentary capability.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Cat Smith MP, Karin Smyth MP, Wes Streeting MP, Procedure Committee, Department of Health and Social Care, House of Commons Table Office, Leader of the House, NHS England
Notable line
“Despite these targeted measures, in the most recent period we examined (covering 9 December 2024 – 28 November 2025) …”
Key Quotes
“Having reviewed the performance of DHSC in the present Session, we were struck by the continued poor performance of your department, especially following our discussions on this matter last Summer”
“… many other departments have also seen a similar – indeed, some have even seen a larger – increase, but have not seen their performance deteriorate to the same degree.”
“… on the day that Parliament returned from summer recess (1 September 2025), DHSC received 544 written PQs, which I believe is a new record for the number of written PQs received by a Department in a single day.”
“In raw numbers, my Department answers the most written PQs on time across Whitehall.”
“… there are some steps of the written PQ process that cannot be fully automated, such as final quality assurance of drafts and review by Ministers before publication.”
“I look forward to the Committee's recommendations as to how the PQ system can be improved to ensure that it remains proportionate and sustainable.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗