Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on the work of the Independent Palliative Care Commission to develop the strategy for the delivery of palliative care.

We welcome the independent scrutiny by the Independent Palliative Care Commission. I met the Hon. Member for York Central and Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to discuss the commission’s first report of three and formally responded to that report last year.

The Government is developing a palliative and end of life care modern service framework (MSF) for England. The MSF is be developed in close collaboration with stakeholders, including members from the Independent Palliative Care Commission.