Is it the Government’s intention that these regulations will apply throughout our country, or will they be limited to England or to England and Wales?
I can speak only for NHS England, but in this case, as I said in my original Answer, it is planned that all four nations of the United Kingdom will lay similar legislation to come into force on 1 October 2026, in line with common commencement dates. England and Wales plan to lay the legislation in July, as I have already said; Scotland will lay it in August; and Northern Ireland will do so in September.
(9 months, 2 weeks ago)
Lords ChamberI am grateful to my noble friend, but am not familiar with the paper to which she refers. On her specific question, the Government are focusing on areas of social deprivation. She mentions that this is preventable; the Prime Minister has made it one of his key tasks to stop the next generation of smokers even becoming smokers. We can all do more with our personal health: giving up smoking is an obvious one, but we could also be eating better and staying fitter. There is more to be done, particularly in areas of social deprivation.
My Lords, as pharmaceutical industries in Northern Ireland make a vital contribution to the supply of drugs and medicines in our country, should these drugs not be allowed to circulate freely through Britain’s internal market?
I thank the noble Lord for that question. I was unaware that it was not universally available to all health authorities in the UK, but I shall certainly pass that question on.
To return to the issue of PrEP, two years after its regular commissioning, do not too many people face long waiting lists or remain unaware of the tremendous benefit they could get from this great drug?
I am grateful to my noble friend for that question. If he knows of any specific cases, I shall certainly look into that.