Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
25th Report - DHSC Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24
Published 14 May 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee DHSC Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We asked the Department whether the current locally–led approaches would be retained as part of the new structure to allow better local accountability, and whether previous commitments about public health and prevention would also be retained. The Department said that the ideal set–up for an ICB to meet its commitments and be held to account was through a good balance of stakeholders, including local authorities, primary, secondary, community, and other care providers, to maintain local, but joined up, accountability.15 11 Qq 9–10, 14 12 Q 17 13 NHS England, NHS Chief to stand down at end of March, 25 February 2025; NHS England, England’s top doctor to stand down after over seven years, 6 March 2025; NHS England, NHS England board members stepping down, 10 March 2025 14 Qq 20, 27 15 Q 26 12 The development of the Harlow Health Security Campus
From: Public Accounts Committee, 25th Report - DHSC Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 (HC 639), 14 May 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-fifth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 14 July 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenth-fifth 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 states that it "agrees" with each of the Committee's recommendations and gives target implementation dates ranging from "Recommendation implemented" to "to be advised".
- On the transfer of NHS England's functions, it agrees to share its plan and timetable, and says information on the size of resource functions "is likely to be confirmed in Autumn 2025".
- On the Annual Report and Accounts, it "plans to cover" the areas listed in the 2024-25 report and will update the Committee in September 2025.
- On publishing accounts before summer recess, it will write in September 2025 with detail on its multi-year plan, saying audit firms have indicated they lack capacity for pre-recess laying "in the shorter-term".
- On clinical negligence costs, it says ministers "will examine" the drivers of costs and "the potential merits of reform options", with the implementation date "to be advised".