To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest of 4 November 2008, Official Report, column 363W, on venous thromboembolism, what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of hospitals complying with the venous thromboembolism risk assessment policy. (269048)

Currently, at the request of the chief medical officer, Dr. Anita Thomas OBE and her team are visiting throughout the national health service to discuss with senior managers and doctors their strategies for implementing venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment in their hospitals. In monitoring compliance with the Department's VTE risk assessment policy we will take into account the findings from this programme of visits and any information available from other sources, such as the All Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group.