Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ethical implications of extending the Federated Data Platform contract between NHS England and Palantir Technologies beyond its initial term; whether an independent ethical review will be undertaken prior to any such extension; and whether considerations relating to (1) patient data protection, (2) patient consent, (3) transparency, (4) public trust, (5) alignment with NHS and wider UK public sector values, and (6) long-term UK data sovereignty and autonomy over NHS data infrastructure, will be taken into account before any decision on continuation beyond 2026–27 is made.

Following an independent and transparent procurement exercise, in line with public contract regulations, the NHS Federated Data Platform and Associated Services (FDP-AS) contract was awarded to a consortium, led by Palantir, in November 2023.

The contract has a review point after the first three years, which is up coming in 2026, then after a further two, then annually for the remainder of the seven-year contract period.

Should NHS England consider future procurement activity beyond the current contract term, this would be undertaken in full accordance with public procurement law and with careful consideration of the criteria highlighted. This would include patient data protection, patient consent, transparency, public trust, alignment with National Health Service and wider United Kingdom public sector values and long‑term UK data sovereignty.