§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the inter-departmental working group to examine the links between socio-economic factors and health; and if she will report progress.
§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department's variations sub-group has given(a) on the allocation of national health service resources and (b) on the need to promote interventions which reduce health inequity.
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have not established such an inter-departmental working group. A sub-group of the Chief Medical Officer's "Health of the Nation Working Group" was set up earlier this year to consider how the Department and the national health service can effectively tackle ethnic, geographical, socio-economic and gender variations in health in the five "Health of the Nation" key areas. The sub-group is due to report to the Chief Medical Officer by spring 1995.