It has been brought to my attention that five written answers given to Lord Scriven require correction.

The replies to Parliamentary Questions HL15722, HL15723, HL15724, HL15725 and HL15726 stated or implied that the former Chief Executive’s redundancy arose solely from the merger or abolition of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to achieve the national reduction in ICB numbers. NHS England has since advised that in the South Yorkshire case, consideration was also given to a range of risks and restructuring options which underpinned the decision-making process overseen by NHS England as part of national ICB reforms. This included potential shared leadership discussions which at the time gave sufficient confidence to allow a conditional redundancy approval to be given by NHS England, linked to redeployment or other arrangements intended to avoid an additional redundancy.

For clarity, for question HL15722 The Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), what was the composition of the group of integrated care board (ICB) chief executive officers subject to compulsory redundancy in August 2025; and whether that group consisted only of those from ICBs being abolished or merged, or if it included leaders of boards that remained as standalone entities. The answer should read:

NHS England has advised that the group related to Chief Executive posts affected by wider national ICB reforms. These included posts affected by the reduction in the number of ICBs. In South Yorkshire, NHS England has advised that wider restructuring considerations were also relevant, including potential shared leadership arrangements and the prospect of redeployment to avoid an additional redundancy.

For question HL15723 The Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), what was the legal basis for the compulsory redundancy of the chief executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and then filling that role immediately on an interim basis; and what changes were made to the job description of the redundant role for the interim role. The answer should read:

NHS England has advised that the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) case arose within the wider national restructuring of ICB Chief Executive roles. NHS England has further advised that the role in South Yorkshire was treated as redundant as part of those restructuring arrangements, taking account of potential shared leadership arrangements and the prospect of redeployment or other arrangements intended to avoid the need for an additional redundancy.

It is a statutory requirement for each ICB to have an Accountable Officer. NHS England has advised that, following the redundancy decision, an interim Chief Executive was appointed locally in South Yorkshire while longer-term arrangements were considered. Any interim appointment made following restructuring is a separate matter from the redundancy decision and must be managed in accordance with relevant national frameworks including the Very Senior Managers Pay framework.

NHS England has further advised that the ICB Chief Executive job description was reviewed nationally and issued to ICBs in June 2025. The Department does not hold centrally collated information on whether further local changes were made to the job descriptions for the interim post, as these are matters for the ICB as an independent employer.

For question HL15724 The Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), whether the chief executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) was offered the opportunity to remain in post under the new 26-ICB framework prior to his selection for compulsory redundancy; and if so, whether his refusal of that offer was considered when determining his eligibility for a contractual redundancy payment. The answer should read:

The Department does not hold centrally collated information on this.

As referred to in the answer to HL15722 and HL15723, NHS England has advised that, in South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), the redundancy decision related to the treatment of the post under wider national restructuring arrangements.

For question HL15725 The Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), why the Chief Executive of South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board received contractual redundancy pay before the approval of the national model voluntary redundancy scheme by the Treasury in November 2025. The answer should read:

As set out in answers to HL15722 and HL15723, there was a wider national requirement to reduce the number of Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Executive Officer roles. NHS England has advised that in South Yorkshire, the case was treated as a contractual payment in the context of a compulsory redundancy within that wider restructuring context, with approval given on the basis that the arrangements were expected to avoid an additional redundancy including through redeployment or other arrangements.

This is separate to the later national model voluntary redundancy scheme, which applies only where an employer chooses to offer staff the option of voluntary exit and which required HM Treasury approval before it could be introduced. NHS England has also advised that discussions with South Yorkshire ICB took place during August 2025 to ensure the correct processes were followed.

For question HL15726 The Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), whether they were consulted before the announcement by South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board on 3 September 2025 of the chief executive's retirement; and what assessment they have made of the public transparency of announcements of retirement when the retiring individual is receiving a redundancy payment. The answer should read:

The Department does not have responsibility for local announcements made by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) about individual employment matters, including retirements. ICBs are independent statutory employers and are responsible for managing their own workforce and communications. In the case of South Yorkshire ICB, NHS England has advised that the redundancy payment referenced was contractual and arose from the treatment of the role as a compulsory redundancy case as part of restructuring arrangements associated with wider ICB reform. The redundancy payment was not linked to the timing or manner of that subsequent announcement.

I would like to apologise on behalf of the Department for this error.

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