Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of providing funding for water, sanitation and hygiene services in maternity facilities on levels of (a) maternal and newborn mortality and (b) anti-microbial resistance.

The UK recognises the vital role that improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities plays in preventing maternal and infant deaths, tackling antimicrobial resistance, and safeguarding women and girls.

We work with a range of international partners on this agenda, from our long-standing partnership with the World Bank on its Water Strategy Implementation Plan to supporting individual governments overseas to improve access to WASH in healthcare facilities. Details of our total WASH sector spend for 2025 will be published in the normal way later this year.