Public Health Outcomes
Oral Answers to Questions — Health
2:30 pm

Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell, Conservative)

What improvements in public health outcomes he anticipates by the end of the decade.

Anne Milton (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)

This year, we published our public health outcomes framework, which will last from 2013 to 2016. It sets out two high-level outcomes: to increase healthy life expectancy and to reduce differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy between communities. This is the first time that a Government have published a public health outcomes framework, and the first time that there has been ring-fenced money for public health.

Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell, Conservative)

On 31 July 2010, I smoked my last cigarette. Every day since then has been a struggle and I still consider myself to be a smoker. Will my hon. Friend outline for the House what support the hundreds of people in my constituency and the tens of thousands of people around the country who are in the same boat are getting to improve public health outcomes?

Anne Milton (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)

I heartily congratulate my hon. Friend on his considerable success, which he has put on the record. We have a number of initiatives, not least the NHS’s quit helpline. There has been a rise in the number of people phoning it and in the number of people who are attempting to quit. He is an example not only to his constituents, but to many Members around the House.

John Bercow (Speaker)

On both the Front Benches and the Back Benches in all parts of the House, I suspect.

Valerie Vaz (Walsall South, Labour)

How do the Government intend to ring-fence the public health money that will be given to local authorities?

Anne Milton (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Public Health), Health; Guildford, Conservative)

Quite literally, by putting it in a ring fence. That money can be spent only on improving public health among the local population. There are 66 supporting indicators in the outcomes framework. The money will be given to local authorities on the basis that they will make progress towards achieving those outcomes.