Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to ensure that the Public Health Grant enables Directors of Public Health to address the health disparities in their locations.

The Public Health Grant’s distribution is heavily weighted towards areas facing the greatest population health challenges. Local authorities are also required to have regard to the need to reduce health inequalities between the people in their areas when commissioning public health services.

All local authorities received an increase to their public health grant last year and a 2.8% increase this year, and the 2021 Spending Review confirmed the Public Health Grant will continue to increase over the spending review period.

We will announce the 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in due course.