Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the new hospital in Sutton, in the context of rising construction and building costs.

We have now put the New Hospital Programme on a sustainable footing, with a timeline that can be met, and a budget that is consistent with the fiscal rules under which the Government is operating. We are backing this plan with investment, which will increase to up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging approximately £3 billion a year from 2030. The exact profile of funding will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews, as with all Government capital budgets in future. The cost estimates for schemes include the significant cost of inflation in recent years and use a construction specific index to inflate future costs.

The final funding amount for the Specialist and Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton will be subject to the review and approval of a Full Business Case nearer to construction starting between 2032 and 2034, as is standard for large infrastructure projects.