Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 39
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)
Storm overflow valves are designed to release water from the sewer network into watercourses and the sea when the volume of water is too high for the system.100 In 2016, 862 storm overflow sites were monitored for spills of untreated sewage, and they averaged 15 spill events each in the year. By 2023 this had increased to an average 33 spill events from the 14,000 storm overflows then being monitored. The increasing incidence of untreated wastewater and sewage entering the aquatic environment through storm overflows is likely to be exacerbating AMR.101 DHSC acknowledged that the treatment and reduction of wastewater and sewage entering waterways is fundamental to reducing resistant infections.102 This point was also made to us in a number of submissions to the Committee, reinforcing the fact that this is a serious public health concern.103
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".