Good health. It's not just a toast. It's what everybody wants for themselves, their family and friends. If you are a parent, it's the supreme gift you'd like to give your children. For the sake of every individual, for society and for the economy, it should be a top priority for any Government. It is a top priority for this Government.

While health generally has improved, far too many people are still
falling ill and dying sooner than they should. The NHS is there to provide treatment and care when people fall ill. Our recent White Paper - The new NHS - spells out our proposals for a modern and dependable health service. But it's not enough to treat people when they fall ill. We've got to do more to stop them falling ill in the first place.

That means tackling the root causes of the avoidable illnesses. In recent times the emphasis has been on trying to get people to live healthy lives, where necessary by changing their lifestyle. Now we want to see far more attention and Government action concentrated on the things which damage people's health which are beyond the control of the individual.

Poor people are ill more often and die sooner. To tackle these fundamental inequalities we must concentrate attention and resources on the areas most affected by air pollution, poverty, low wages, unemployment, poor housing, crime and disorder, which can make people ill in both body and mind.

The new Government is already taking action to tackle all these problems. That will improve the health of the worst off and least healthy people and neighbourhoods.

This Green Paper sets out our proposals for concerted action by the Government as a whole in partnership with local organisations, to improve people's living conditions and health. It recognises that there are limits to what Government can do and spells out what the individual can do, if the Government do their bit. That's why we are proposing a 'contract for health'.

We put forward specific targets for tackling some of the major killer diseases and proposals for local action. But the Government doesn't believe we have a monopoly of concern and knowledge. So we are inviting everyone who is interested to let us have their comments on what we are proposing and to put forward suggestions of their own.

Frank Dobson Secretary of State for Health

Tessa Jowell Secretary of State for Public Health