An audit of the questions asked by Iain Duncan Smith at his weekly session of PMQs has revealed that health and transport have dominated the agenda since he secured the Tory leadership.

Duncan Smith, a committed euro-sceptic, has asked 57 questions on health - just short of a third of the total number asked during his weekly bouts with Tony Blair.

But he has asked only a handful on welfare, the economy, Europe and the single currency.

The Tory leader has led the attack on transport 35 times, reflecting the government's woes over Railtrack and the Stephen Byers affair.

Crime ranks third in Duncan Smith's league table - with the Tory leader asking 27 questions since seizing the Tory crown last September.

But the state of the economy has cropped up on just three occasions - with welfare also ranking at three.

The single currency has barely registered despite the introduction of euro notes and coins - reflecting a desire to "turn the volume down" on the issue.

A spokesman for the Tory leader dismissed suggestions that the party was focussing on health and transport because it had nothing to say on issues such as education and the economy.

"You shouldn't read into this that we are more interested in one area than another," said the spokesman, who added that the questions "are decided on the day" based upon the news agenda.