Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Dari Taylor (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 on behalf of the Department of Health.

NHS Funding

Question: My right hon. Friend will know that my constituency has had significantly increased funds. None the less, we have very high death rates from heart problems and cancer in low-income wards. How can we manage that situation? What education and community programmes are there to help people in low-income families understand the serious dangers from smoking and poor nutrition?

Answer: My hon. Friend is right. We need to give the resources to areas such as hers so that they can spend them on smoking cessation programmes and improving access to primary care. Research has shown that communities of that kind benefit greatly from improved primary care, and also that national targets have played an important role in improving health outcomes in the most deprived communities. I assure my hon. Friend that that will remain a central tenet of this Government's health policy.

Secondary information