Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a fuel source for NHS vehicles; and what his Department's planned timescale is for (a) assessing the results of its trial on its potential use and (b) publishing its conclusions.

Unipart Logistics completed a trial of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) on four vehicles for a period of 40 days across February and March 2023. Whilst this found a major reduction of 90% in carbon dioxide impact, the trial also found a 62% increase in fuel costs and highlighted the operational challenge of HVO not being available at fuel retailers. The results, and next steps, are currently being considered.

The National Health Service is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels across its estate and will continue to explore new options and innovations