§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions each Minister in his Department has refused to meet an hon. Member in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement about the criteria used to make such decisions. [30966]
§ Ms BlearsI apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the whole ministerial team are happy to meet parliamentary colleagues who wish to see them and do so frequently in a variety of settings.