Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 12
30th Report - Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the risks
Published 13 Jun 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the risks All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
As part of its 2019–24 National Action Plan for AMR, the third UK plan of its kind, the government set five domestic targets. These related to levels of drug-resistant and Gram-negative bloodstream infections (named after a bacteria-testing method and are more likely to be resistant to antimicrobials), use of antimicrobials in humans and animals, and use of diagnostic tests.29 However, only one of these five targets, relating to use of antimicrobials in animals, was achieved. NHS England told us that the 22 Qq 56–62 23 Q 62 24 Qq 60, 61 25 Q 16; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.7, 3.20 26 Q 43 27 House of Commons Library, US aid, the UK, and funding for multilateral aid bodies in 2025, 18 March 2025 28 AR0007, AR0009, AR0015, AR0021, AR0025 29 C&AG’s Report, paras 8, 2.11 and 2.14 11 targets were not achieved as they were overambitious, and the targets had been based on previous success with other targeted infections such as MRSA, which involve a different mode of transmission, as well as the impact of the pandemic such as a post-pandemic resurgence of infections. NHS England believes that progress was still made even though the targets were not hit.30
From: Public Accounts Committee, 30th Report - Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the risks (HC 646), 13 June 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirtieth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 13 August 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirtieth report from Session 2024-26
Published 18 September 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it agrees with the Committee's recommendations on antimicrobial resistance, and sets out target implementation dates ranging from Winter 2025 to Autumn 2027.
- On progress against targets, the government agrees, and says targets are subject to annual review over the summer, "with the potential to revise, if deemed appropriate and agreed by the UK AMR Strategy Board".
- On transparency, it agrees and says the government "will publish the first of these reports by the autumn", describing activity during the first year of the 2024-2029 National Action Plan.
- On diagnostics, it agrees (target date Spring 2027) and says engagement will inform an "infection diagnostics framework" by 2027, with point-of-care test pilots reporting in 2026-2027.
- On wastewater, it agrees (target date Autumn 2027); the department "will provide a full response via a White Paper in Autumn 2025" and "will commission further research" on evidence gaps "by Summer 2026".