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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public. [49851] Ms Jowell: [holding answer 13 July 1998]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 17 July 1998, Official Report, column 315, regarding corresponding electronically with hon. Members. The Department has set up a number of mechanisms to correspond electronically with members of the public. On the central DH internet site, a number of specific email boxes are available covering a number of areas, including open government, research and development and the regional offices. In addition, a number of committees, including the Royal Commission for the Long Term Care of the Elderly, the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, the Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment also have email boxes. Among the Department's Agencies, the Medical Devices Agency have an email mailbox for general inquiries, the Medicines Control Agency have an email mailbox for the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and National Health Service Estates has an email mailbox used for complaints and general inquiries. The Department's internet site also has a number of web pages with electronic feedback forms, including those for the Chief Medical Officer, performance tables, NHS Annual Report 95/96, as well as a general feedback form for the whole site. As well as the range of specific email boxes the Department has, it is also currently examining the setting up of a corporate email box for general correspondence.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

317 c369-70W;317 c369W; 49851

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Correspondence Government departments Email Department of Health