asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the remarks by Lord Warner on 7 December (Official Report, col. 1294), to which specific areas of greater information he was referring when comparing the information provided by the annual report of the Healthcare Commission with the information provided by the James report to the Conservative Party prior to the general election in 2005. [HL894]

The Healthcare Commission produces a wide range of information about the National Health Service and its performance. The commission assesses NHS trusts through its annual health-check process. This provides information on trusts’ performance against the existing national targets, core standards and use of resources, as well as on progress made in specific healthcare areas such as mental health. Results for 2005-06 were published on 12 October 2006 and are available on the commission's website at www.healthcarecommission.org.uk.

The Healthcare Commission published its third State of Healthcare report on 30 October 2006. The report considers the state of healthcare services in England and Wales for the year ending 31 March 2006. For the first time, the report also includes an overview of standards in the independent healthcare sector. State of Healthcare 2006 is also available on the commission's website.

The Healthcare Commission's activities are summarised in its annual reports. Its report for 2005-06, Putting Patients First: A Better Experience of Healthcare, was published on 24 July 2006. The report is available on the commission's website.