Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Department for Health NI on trends in the level of male and female life expectancy in Northern Ireland.

Health in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, and we have not had specific Ministerial discussions on trends in the level of male and female life expectancy in Northern Ireland.

Both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are important measures of population health across the United Kingdom, and there is a shared UK ambition to improve health and tackle health disparities. Departmental officials engage regularly with their counterparts in Northern Ireland, for example through the UK Directors Group, to discuss opportunities to take joined-up action wherever possible, and to share knowledge on what works in improving population health.