Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he had with his Department's Chief Scientific Adviser from (a) 1 March to 31 May 2021, (b) 1 June to 31 August 2021 and (c) 1 September to 30 November 2021.

The department draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed. Due to the centrality of the COVID-19 pandemic to health and social care policy and research, the department’s Chief Scientific Adviser met frequently with the Secretary of State over the stated period.