Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund the ongoing maintenance of the Royal Berkshire Hospital until it is rebuilt.

The safety of National Health Service staff and patients is of vital importance to the Government. That is why repairing and rebuilding our hospitals is a key part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board will continue to receive annual capital allocations. These allocations are managed at a local level, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including estate maintenance works. In addition, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer also committed over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Further details on funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025 to 2026, as part of NHS planning guidance. Capital funding levels for future years will be determined through the current Spending Review, which concludes in June 2025.