Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 17
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)
The 2019–24 NAP’s commitments were tracked internally, and the government has not published information on its progress across all of its commitments.44 While some data on the 2019–24 NAP’s quantitative targets is available through publications by UKHSA and Defra, this information has not been brought together in one publication and is highly technical which may make it inaccessible to the lay reader.45 We received several written submissions which pointed to concerns about transparency on and accountability for the UK’s work on tackling AMR.46 This included a submission from the Microbiology Society which reported concern in the microbiology community that there was a lack of clarity on how the 2024–29 NAP will be implemented, how success will be measured and how government will be held accountable for its performance.47 38 Q 59 39 Qq 82–83; C&AG’s Report, para 3.6 40 Q 59 41 Q 36; C&AG’s Report, para 11 42 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.23–2.24 43 HM Government, Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029, May 2024 44 C&AG’s Report, para 2.24. 45 UKHSA, English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance, 2023–24; Veterinary Medicines Directorate, UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Report 2022 46 AR0004, AR0005, AR0006, AR0015, AR0024 47 AR0015 13
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".