Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Department's Answer to Question 27512, answered on 17 September 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the number of medical appointments missed where Royal Mail's NHS option has been used.

I have heard the concerns of some Honourable Members about the take-up of the NHS barcode in recent debates in the House, and I will raise this in my engagement with Royal Mail. As an independent business, responsibility for managing the NHS barcode system rests with Royal Mail’s management and they are best placed to provide details of the take-up and success of the NHS barcode option.

The government also encourages NHS bodies to work with their Royal Mail account manager to find practical solutions that suit their needs.