Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of regional differences in life expectancy across England.

The Government recognises that regional differences in life expectancy across England remain significant and reflect the wider inequalities in the factors that shape people’s health and life expectancy. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions, shifting care from treatment to prevention and from hospital to community.