Oral QuestionDepartment for Exiting the European Union

What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the potential effect of the Withdrawal Agreement on the Northern Ireland economy.

Tabled: 20 December 2019Answered: 9 January 2020

Asked by

Sir Stephen Timms

LabourEast Ham

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union

Answer from Hansard

The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election, and I also pass on my best wishes to her and her husband, who I know recently suffered a stroke. We hope he makes a speedy recovery. We recognise the great work of NHS staff for them, and indeed for all our constituents every day, but we do know that the NHS is broken. The latest data confirms the terrible state in which the Conservatives left urgent and emergency care services, with one in four patients waiting longer than four hours in A&E. That is why Professor Lord Darzi will lead an investigation into NHS performance, and the findings will inform our 10-year reform of the NHS.