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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with Royal Mail regarding take-up of the NHS option for correspondence.

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.