PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Health and Social Care - 16 March 2026 (Commons/Written Corrections)

The Minister is probably about to draw his remarks to a close, but can I press him again on the mental health investment standard, which should ensure that the proportion of NHS spending on mental health goes up every year? In the last year for which we have numbers, it had gone up as a proportion of ICB spend, but had fallen as a proportion of overall NHS spend. Can the Minister commit that the Department will not be abandoning that standard, and that we will see mental health spending go up each year?

I can certainly commit to the hon. Lady that mental health spending in real terms will go up every single year. It went up by £688 million in real terms this year.

[Official Report, 26 February 2026; Vol. 781, c. 239WH.]

Written correction submitted by the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Dr Ahmed):

I can certainly commit to the hon. Lady that mental health spending will go up every single year. It went up by £688 million in cash terms this year.

NHS Capital Spending

The following extract is from the Westminster Hall debate on NHS Capital Spending on 4 March 2026.

The Minister is making an important point about the vital need for capital funding in the NHS. I and a number of colleagues are here in the Chamber because St Helier hospital is falling apart, and unfortunately patients are being affected, but the hospital build programme has been delayed another three years. There has been lots of goodwill in the debate, but we are looking for additional investment in the A&E. I hope the Minister will take that away, and that there might be something about it in a statement soon.

The Chancellor has made her key decision to put us back on track, announcing in the Budget that capital health spending would increase by £15.2 billion by the end of the spending review period in 2029-30.

[Official Report, 4 March 2026; Vol. 781, c. 387WH.]

Written correction submitted by the Minister for Secondary Care, the hon. Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth):

The Chancellor has made her key decision to put us back on track, announcing in the Budget that capital health spending would increase to £15.2 billion by the end of the spending review period in 2029-30.