Written questions by Byrne.

What comparative assessment he has made of maternity unit infrastructure quality with infant mortality rates in areas of high deprivation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What proportion of NHS capital investment in 2025-26 was allocated to constituencies ranked in the top 10 most deprived in England.

The Department does not routinely calculate or publish National Health Service capital investment on a constituency basis, including by levels of deprivation. Capital funding is allocated primarily through system‑level operational capital and national capital programmes, with investment decisions taken by integrated care boards and NHS trusts in line with local need, priorities and affordability.Detailed information on NHS capital investment for 2025/26, including trust and system‑level capital allocations, will be set out in the Financial Assistance under Section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006 Report which is part of Department’s annual reports and accounts, due to be published following the end of the financial year.

What steps he is taking to help ensure emergency care infrastructure meets demand in constituencies with (a) above-average unemployment and (b) above-average infant mortality rates.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What the average A&E capacity utilisation rate is for (a) Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, (b) University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust as a whole, and (c) England.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What the average ambulance handover time was at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital A&E in (a) 2024-25 and (b) the most recent quarter for which data is available.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment he has made of the potential for critical care infrastructure investment to enable whole-system reorganisation of urgent and emergency care.

Decisions on the future of local NHS services, including the provision of critical care service and urgent and emergency care, are the responsibility of local NHS organisations. These organisations are best placed to determine how services should operate to meet the needs of their local population, taking into account workforce, clinical standards and demand.Capital funding for infrastructure investment is provided nationally and split between system operational capital and national capital programmes aligned to national priorities. Decisions on capital investment are taken by local systems, empowering the frontline to prioritise funding in line with local need and strategic priorities.

What progress he has made on improving NHS infrastructure in areas with the highest health inequalities.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, this Government is clear that the National Health Service will be a service equipped to narrow health inequalities. We recognise the importance of safe, sustainable and accessible infrastructure in achieving this goal, which is why capital budgets will rise to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period in 2029/30.This includes our aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community over the course of the plan, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health. Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.Beyond NHCs, we are empowering local systems to manage their capital budgets and deliver the right infrastructure in line with local need and strategic priorities. NHS England’s allocations policy aims to support equal opportunity of access for equal need as well as NHS England’s duties to reduce health inequalities that are amenable to healthcare.

What assessment he has made of the impact of the age of A&E infrastructure on (a) staff retention and (b) clinical safety at hospitals operating above design capacity.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What estimate he has made of the number of A&E departments in England regularly treating patients in corridors; and what plans he has to end this practice.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What process his Department uses to assess Integrated Care Board capital investment priorities; and whether Birmingham Heartlands Hospital A&E rebuild features in capital planning for 2026-2027.

Capital funding is provided nationally and split between system operational capital and national capital programmes aligned to national priorities. Decisions on capital investment are taken by local systems, empowering the frontline to prioritise funding in line with local need and strategic priorities.NHS England’s Capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30 is clear that systems have the autonomy to determine the optimal deployment of their operational capital allocation, making local trade‑offs to manage and prioritise day‑to‑day capital requirements within the available envelope.Integrated care boards and partners must also agree and publish a Joint Capital Resource Plan each year, setting out how they will prioritise capital locally against their wider strategic priorities and affordability.If the rebuild of Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Emergency Department is prioritised through regional planning processes, it should be mentioned in the published Joint Capital Resource Plan.

What his planned timetable is for capital funding decisions for critical care infrastructure projects identified as integrated care board priorities in Birmingham and North Solihull.

Capital funding is provided through a combination of locally managed operational capital and national capital programmes. Within their capital allocations, Integrated care boards are responsible for prioritising investment locally, working with partnered National Health Service trusts to determine which schemes should be taken forward first.There is no single national timetable for decisions on individual local schemes. Funding decisions for critical care infrastructure projects in Birmingham and North Solihull will be driven by the national capital settlement and the Department’s business planning, and then by the annual NHS planning cycle, which is when systems submit plans setting out proposed use of funding and demonstrate affordability.In practice, decisions on the release of funding for specific schemes depend on the maturity of proposals, including business case readiness, and whether they can be shown to be affordable within agreed plans.Decisions on future capital funding beyond existing allocations will be considered through the usual planning and spending review processes.

What criteria are used to determine eligibility for the New Hospital Programme; and whether Birmingham Heartlands Hospital A&E and maternity unit meets those criteria.

In July 2021, the government announced the selection process for a further eight hospitals to join the New Hospital Programme (NHP) and invited expressions of interests (EOIs) from National Health Service trusts.EOIs were scored against as series of indicators from four categories:- deliverability;- better and smarter use of NHS infrastructure;- fairer allocation of investment and efficient use of public resources; and- stronger and greener NHS buildings.This assessment was conducted in conjunction with an analysis of metrics covering estates, finance, and quality from existing national datasets. EOIs were also assessed against regional strategic priorities.In May 2023, the Government confirmed that five hospitals with significant amounts of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) will join the NHP due to the safety risks posed to staff and patients. Due to the size, complexity, and costs involved in rebuilding the five RAAC hospitals, it was not possible to invite other schemes to join.There are currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the NHP and the focus of the programme is on delivering the existing portfolio of hospitals in line with the published Plan for Implementation and within the available funding envelope.

What assessment he has made of the implications for patient safety of A&E departments operating above 100% capacity; and what steps he is taking to address capacity issues at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.

The Government takes patient safety seriously, including when accident and emergency departments are under severe pressure.Patients are clinically triaged on arrival and monitored at appropriate intervals, with decisions led locally through clinical judgement and governance. Where corridor care is taking place and cannot be avoided, the National Health Service has published updated guidance to ensure this care is delivered safely, with senior clinical oversight, appropriate monitoring, and that dignity and privacy are maintained.More broadly, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework sets out clear action to improve urgent and emergency care performance year‑on‑year, including reducing long waits, improving patient flow, and ensuring that patients are treated in the right setting, the first time.At Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, pressures are being addressed through system‑wide actions, including investment in hospital‑based urgent treatment centres, improvements to reduce delayed discharges, and shifting care from hospital into communities.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

The 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed that the Department’s capital budgets will rise to £15.2 billion by the end of the 2025 Spending Review period, in 2029/30, to invest in the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure. The following table shows the planned Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits from 2024/25 to 2029/30:Outturn 2024/25 (£bn)Planned 2025/26 (£bn)Planned 2026/27 (£bn)Planned 2027/28 (£bn)Planned 2028/29 (£bn)Planned 2029/30 (£bn)£11.5£13.6£14.0£13.8£14.8£15.2 Funding allocations for national capital programmes for spend in the NHS across the 2025 Spending Review period are outlined in the NHS Capital Planning Guidance, for 2026/27 to 2029/30, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/capital-guidance-2026-27-to-2029-30/Business planning is conducted each financial year to ensure capital funding is allocated appropriately. Therefore, the allocations set out in the guidance represent indicative figures. The following table shows the allocations set out for the national programme, for estates safety, for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete work, and for constitutional standards and left shift, from 2025/26 to 2029/30:National programme2025/26 (£’000)2026/27 (£’000)2027/28 (£’000)2028/29 (£’000)2029/30 (£’000)Estates safety750,000750,000750,000750,000750,000Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete440,000432,000402,000391,000399,000Constitutional standards and left shift1,650,0001,873,5091,001,290950,500591,000 In addition, the 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed £300 million of additional capital investment in NHS technology, building on the investment of up to £10 billion of combined revenue and capital by 2028/29 announced at the 2025 Spending Review. We are also investing over £400 million for upgrades to primary care buildings and neighbourhood health centres over the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period.We remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, which will continue through the 2025 Spending Review period, with funding rising from £979 million in 2026/27 to £3 billion by 2029/30.Our plans fully allocate research and development funding, which is classified as capital, and for agreed national infrastructure and pandemic preparedness schemes.The Department does not routinely hold back unallocated capital but has an active role in managing the overall position throughout the year as pressures and underspends emerge as part of core financial management, to ensure capital funding is maximised to address strategic priorities and delivery for the taxpayer.

What the planned funding allocations for Birmingham and Solihull NHS ICB are in each year for which figures are available.

Funding allocations for the Birmingham and Solihull NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) for 2025/26 were recently published online by NHS England alongside 2025/26 NHS Planning Guidance. The following table shows the funding allocations for the Birmingham and Solihull NHS ICB for 2025/26:Allocation2025/26 amountICB core programme£3,124,548,000ICB delegated specialised services£491,587,000ICB primary medical care£312,120,000ICB pharmacy, ophthalmic, and dental services£151,387,000ICB running cost allowance£21,741,000 Funding beyond 2025/26 will be determined following Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will conclude later this year.