Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to expedite the approval process for a new net zero energy plant at Kettering General Hospital.

Yes I will. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the way he has championed this issue. I have visited the hospital; I have seen it for myself. As he will be aware, the full business case was received by the New Hospital Programme recently. While the cost has increased, it is still within the wider funding envelope for the scheme on that site and I will do everything I can to expedite the process as he asks. I have asked my ministerial colleague, Lord Markham, to meet with him to discuss this case.