To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Care Quality Commission is now fully operational; and how many meetings they have had with the commission. [HL3337]

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 established the Care Quality Commission, which came into being on 1 October 2008. On 1 April 2009, the new commission took over from the Healthcare Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission. It is now fully operational. Ministers and senior officials at the department meet regularly with the Care Quality Commission chairman, chief executive and executive directors.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Care Quality Commission to hold inquiries into all allegations of failure to provide adequate care to those who need it. [HL3338]

We have deliberately given the Care Quality Commission a wide range of tough, independent enforcement powers enabling the new commission to take direct and independent action against service providers which fail to provide care that meets essential levels of safety and quality that service users are entitled to expect. This could result in the Care Quality Commission forcing the closure of service providers that fail to meet these essential levels of safety and quality.

The department is, of course, in regular dialogue with the Care Quality Commission and discusses issues and matters of concern with it as part of the department's ongoing sponsorship relationship with the regulator.

While the Secretary of State may request that the commission undertake a specific review or investigation so that specific issues of interest to the public or Parliament may receive the necessary attention from the commission, it is important to be clear that we have established the Care Quality Commission as an independent regulator.

Subject to the requirements of its founding legislation, the commission is operationally independent and free from government involvement in the way it exercises its statutory functions.