Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the study by Walsh et al on Bearing the burden of austerity: how do changing mortality rates in the UK compare between men and women?, published on 5 October 2022 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, which found that there were 334,327 excess deaths beyond the expected number in England, Wales and Scotland between 2012-2019 as a result of Government policies over that period; and if he will make statement.

The government is committed to supporting individuals to live healthier lives, and at the heart of this is improving access to and levelling up health and care across the country. As such, the government has reconfirmed its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy by 2030 and increase Healthy Life Expectancy by 5 years by 2035.

We recognise this study raises a serious and important issue. The government's approach will focus on supporting people to live healthier lives, helping the NHS and social care to provide the best treatment and care for patients and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme.

The NHS is a key priority for this government, and so is continuing to invest in health and social care which is set to reach £188bn in 2024-25.