Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve the emission quality of fuel forward purchased by NHS Ambulance Trusts; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of switching to hydrotreated vegetable oil on the emissions quality of that fuel.

No specific assessment has been made. The National Health Service continually assesses the viability of new technologies to reduce costs and environmental impact. NHS Supply Chain has enhanced its fleet with sustainable vehicles which are hydrotreated vegetable oil ready.

The NHS launched its national programme for a Greener NHS in 2020. ‘Delivering a ‘Net Zero' National Health Service’ sets out actions to respond to climate change with estates and travel and transport targets for achieving net zero direct emissions by 2040 and indirect emissions by 2045.

Whilst ambulance trusts can already use bunkered fuel to achieve cost savings and improve resilience, the approach to fuel purchases is dependent on local circumstances and geography. Given the cost of installing new bunkered fuel facilities and the anticipated move towards electric vehicles, installing additional bunkered fuel facilities is unlikely to be cost effective in most locations.