Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to hospital rebuilding projects to meet increasing demand for NHS services; and what steps he is taking to ensure that investment in new and rebuilt hospitals is accompanied by funding for the supporting infrastructure required to serve growing populations, including primary care facilities, transport links and utilities.

The Government's 10 Year Capital Plan provides long-term funding certainty for the National Health Service estate, with annual health capital spending rising to £15 billion by 2029/30. This includes £6.75 billion to deliver vital repairs over the next nine years through the Estates Safety Fund, alongside long-term investment in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). NHP schemes can include funding for moving clinical services into community-based facilities, utilities upgrades, and improvements to local transport infrastructure as necessary and appropriate. We remain committed to delivering all schemes in the NHP.

We are also investing in the wider health infrastructure needed to support growing populations. As set out in our 10 Year Capital Plan, we have committed £200 million over the next four years to continue upgrading the general practice estate, alongside a further £200 million to support the development of neighbourhood health centres.

NHS organisations are expected to work with local planning authorities on healthcare requirements arising from population growth, seek developer contributions where appropriate, and coordinate transport and utility requirements with relevant infrastructure partners.