§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons underlay his decision to discontinue the annual published report by the Chief Medical Officer on the state of the public health. [126665]
§ Yvette CooperThe last Chief Medical Officer's report was published in August 1998 by Sir Kenneth Calman shortly before he left office. The present CMO came into post in late September 1998. He has taken stock of the publications issued by the Chief Medical Officer and introduced a number of changes. He is currently exploring the opportunities for greater use of web-based publishing methods.
510WAfter listening to a wide range of views he also intends to introduce changes to the format of his annual report. Although the previous format served its purpose well in the past, it is very detailed and it is not always clear in what areas action is being called for. The practice of the CMO's annual report containing descriptions of a wide range of government policies which are contained in other documents added to the detailed nature of the reports.
It is the intention of the CMO to produce the new format of the report in the autumn of 2000. It will be shorter, with a clear focus on areas for action and in a more accessible form.