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 ensure adequate healthcare provision in areas with high (a) housing targets and (b) population growth.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class NHS infrastructure across the entire NHS estate. Beyond hospitals, we know we need the right infrastructure in the right place to deliver on our commitment of creating a Neighbourhood Health Service and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve.

We recognise the challenges facing local areas of rapid housing and population growth, including the challenges such growth can place on health care infrastructure. Whilst the Government has big ambitions to further boost house building, we recognise it must be sensitive to local need.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the local authority and developer contributions from new housing developments can support the vision for health services and infrastructure locally.

The relevant integrated care board is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for its area is spent, and allocates funding according to local priorities. Any further support for NHS organisations will be set out at the Autumn Spending Review.