Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to help planning authorities prioritise reducing health inequalities.

As part of the current government consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we are seeking views on proposed changes intended to ensure that the planning system supports the increased provision and modernisation of key public services infrastructure, such as hospitals, and enables the planning system to do more to support the creation of healthy places, such as through policies to help tackling childhood obesity.

The consultation is open until 24 September and we will use the responses we receive to inform future steps.