Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of hours of worked and (b) actual costs to date, (c) estimated future costs of external consultants in relation to the abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB), and (c) NHS England.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the likely cost of abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) and (c) the development and enactment of transfer schemes in connection with the transfer of HSSIB’s functions to the Care Quality Commission.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he expects NHS England’s review of the preference informed allocation method to be completed before the abolition of NHS England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) is currently finalising the timeline for its review of the Preference Informed Allocation process. The UKFPO anticipates that the review will commence in Autumn 2026 and continue throughout 2027. The abolition of NHS England and the associated timelines are subject to legislation and the will of Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the estimated costs of making provisions for transfer schemes of connection with the abolition of the NHS England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Any costs associated with creating and implementing transfer schemes will form part of the overall costs of the DHSC-NHSE Transformation Programme.

Further details on expenditure related to the closure of NHS England will be reported in our Annual Accounts in the normal way.

The Government expects the wider reforms, including the integration of NHS England into the Department, to deliver savings of over £1 billion a year by the end of this Parliament.

Found: Sureena Brackenridge (Labour; Wolverhampton North East) Jodie Gosling (Labour; Nuneaton) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Sureena Brackenridge (Labour; Wolverhampton North East) Jodie Gosling (Labour; Nuneaton) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: June 2026 Members present Helen Hayes, in the Chair Jess Asato Mrs Sureena Brackenridge Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Caroline Johnson MP London SW1A 0AA Other Committed London Dr.

Found: Caroline Johnson MPLondonSW1A 0AAOtherCommittedLondonDr.