Lord Sharkey

Assessments regarding the effectiveness of competition on cross-Solent ferry services are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority, which is independent of the Government. Decisions on which markets to investigate sit with its board.

The Department continues to engage directly with key stakeholders, including Islanders and ferry companies.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. NHS England and the Department are strongly supportive of clinical leadership and recognise the critical need to incorporate clinical expertise into our work. The national clinical directors are a key part of this approach and play an important role in policy development and implementation.

We are currently in the initial phases of scoping and designing a new integrated Department that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system. As part of this process, we are carefully considering the future role of national clinical directors. While no specific decisions have been made yet, we are open to considering the benefit of appointing a National Clinical Director for Rare Diseases following the integration of NHS England into the Department, subject to funding arrangements.

As we take forward the work to integrate NHS England into the Department, we will continue to analyse and assess impacts of all kinds. This will include putting in place plans to ensure continuity of specialised services, with patient safety at the forefront of our work.

The Department funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research across the United Kingdom, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Development and delivery of research in the pharmaceutical sector is supported and enabled nationwide through NIHR infrastructure, including the NIHR Research Delivery Network, the NIHR Clinical Research Facilities, the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, and the newly designated NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres. These all support the delivery of clinical research through facilities, staff resource, collaborations, and funding.

In order to maximise our potential to be a world leader and develop a more competitive, efficient, and accessible clinical research system, the Department is committed to implementing recommendations from the Lord O'Shaughnessy independent review of commercial clinical trials in full. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, to provide innovative treatment options for patients.

On 16 January 2024, under the previous Government, HM Treasury published a consultation proposing changes to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rules that apply to alternative financial arrangements. The consultation closed on 9 April 2024 and this Government is carefully considering all responses. A response document will be published in due course.