Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Require DHSC and Defra to publish regular updates on AMR progress and chronic risk.
Recommendation
Government has not been sufficiently transparent about what it is achieving against its AMR targets and commitments. Only one of the five domestic targets in the 2019–24 NAP was achieved, relating to reducing the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. The other four, relating to reducing numbers of infections, reducing antimicrobial use in humans and using diagnostic tests were missed. The NAP also included 128 commitments, which were only tracked internally, with only seven of the 128 recorded as implemented. However, the government has not brought together and published information on this progress against its targets and commitments. In the AMR NAP 2024–29, the government acknowledged that progress had been slow in some areas, partly due to insufficient resources and focus. Government has also not published its chronic risk analysis of the AMR threat. recommendation DHSC and Defra should publish a regular update on their progress against the AMR targets and commitments. They should also coordinate with the Cabinet Office to include an assessment of the level of chronic risk that AMR presents.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed and stated it has established a new process for assessing chronic risks, publishing the Chronic Risks Analysis in July 2025 alongside the Resilience Strategy. The Cabinet Office will publish an updated analysis before the end of this Parliament, with DHSC and Defra committed to providing ongoing advice on AMR as a chronic risk.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation well as in the Chronic Risks Analysis, the UK's first bespoke assessment for medium to long- term challenges facing the nation. The government has established a new process for identifying and assessing chronic risks to help policymakers understand the potential implications of these risks on their policy areas and develop appropriate mitigations. The Chronic Risks Analysis was published alongside the Resilience Strategy in July 2025, with the aim to build understanding of these critical issues amongst risk practitioners, businesses, academics and policymakers, to support their planning and preparations. The Cabinet Office will publish an updated Chronic Risks Analysis before the end of this Parliament to arm the next UK government with a clear picture of chronic risks as they are developing, and to support our work to prevent risks materialising across government and business. DHSC and Defra work closely with the Cabinet Office and are committed to continuing to provide policy and technical advice to the Cabinet office on future risk assessments on AMR as a Chronic Risk.