Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help expand the capacity of air ambulance services.

In 2019, the Department launched a three-year capital grant programme which allocated £10 million to nine air ambulance charities across England. A further £6 million of COVID-19 emergency funding was provided to Air Ambulances UK in 2020 to distribute to the 21 air ambulance charities in the United Kingdom.

The Government continues to support a charitable model for the funding of air ambulance services as this allows charities the independence to deliver specialised services tailored to the needs of patients in each locality.