Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to renew the National Maternity Safety Ambition at the end of 2025.

Our commitment to set an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gaps has not wavered. Addressing the shocking inequalities that exist across maternity and neonatal services is fundamental to ensuring that all women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care.

We are working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions to tackle the stark inequalities that exist. The Government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach, and that any targets set are women and baby centred.

It is vital that the system is supported with the right actions to meet any target or ambition set. This is why, through the national investigation and taskforce, we will work with families and stakeholders to develop further actions to meet our ambitions.