Department of Health and Social Care: Carbon Emissions
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on measures to achieve net zero targets in the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth
In the last five years, the Department has not provided ringfenced capital for the National Health Service’s Net Zero targets.
Direct investment in the decarbonisation of NHS buildings and operations is primarily supported by external grant funding. For example, NHS trusts have secured over £1.2 billion for heat-decarbonisation projects under the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme since 2020.
The Department works with NHS England to ensure that NHS national programmes and day-to-day capital budgets support decarbonisation objectives where appropriate.
We have also previously provided capital to improve trusts’ energy efficiency, with associated benefits for carbon reduction. For instance, in 2023/24 we worked with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to invest £40 million in NHS light emitting diode lighting and solar projects through the NHS National Energy Efficiency Fund. The substantial savings from such investments can be directed into frontline services.
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