Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made for the implications for her policies of the recent analysis published by WPI Economics: False Economy Report on the impact of rebate rates under the Voluntary and Statutory Schemes for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access on the level of future R&D investment.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department carefully considers all evidence in the public domain on matters relating to the growth and competitiveness of the UK Life Science sector, including the recent report by WPI Strategy. This happens in combination with broad engagement with individual companies, the NHS and with charities and patient representatives, and will continue in future as part of the delivery of the Government’s Life Science Vision.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the rebate rates under the (a) voluntary and (b) statutory scheme for branded medicines on (i) the placement of clinical trials in the UK, (ii) the prioritisation of the UK as a launch market for new medicines and (iii) patient outcomes in the next five years.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government has assessed the link between volume-based rebate payments in our medicine pricing schemes and various kinds of investment in our impact assessment of recent updates to the statutory scheme for branded medicines pricing, which operates alongside the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS).
The Government’s 2023 impact assessment of updates to the statutory scheme is available at the following link:
The Government is working to better understand the impacts the operation of the current VPAS on the United Kingdom life sciences industry. We are in direct conversations with pharmaceutical companies, including in the recent pre-negotiation workshops, as well as the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Business and Trade about the business environment for life sciences.
Controlling medicine spend is a key aim for both current and future schemes to improve patient outcomes by simplifying, streamlining and improving access, pricing, and uptake arrangements for cost effective medicines, and deliver faster adoption of the most clinically and cost-effective medicines.
With regard to the impact of price regulation on the placement of clinical trials in the UK and access to new medicines, the Government’s assessment is that price control schemes in general are more likely to impact decisions about the location of late-stage than early-stage trials, as the location of late-stage trials may be more influenced by commercial considerations about where to launch a new medicine. However, VPAS includes strong commercial incentives to launch new products in the form of freedom of list pricing and exemptions from payments for innovative medicines containing a new active substance. These incentives have contributed to VPAS driving significant improvements in patient access to clinically and cost-effective medicines, whilst ensuring sustainable and predictable spend growth for the National Health Service and industry during a period of economic uncertainty.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry proposals for a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Growth, including the proposals for (a) an investment facility, (b) to build a data recruitment centre and (c) a fund for a Medicines Equity Partnership.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department carefully considers all evidence in the public domain on matters relating to the growth and competitiveness of the United Kingdom life science sector, including the recent report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
The Department of Health and Social Care is in close discussions with Ministers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade about the business environment for life sciences and its impact on investment.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Register of Taxi and Private Hire Licence Revocations and Refusals (NR3), which local authorities with large numbers of registered taxi and private hire drivers made the least use of NR3 searches in 2022; and how many NR3 searches and entries were submitted by those authorities in 2022.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Use of the National Register for Refusals and Revocations (NR3) is recommended in the Department’s Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards which was published in 2020. The Department is monitoring usage of the NR3 and communicates with local authorities on this matter regularly.
Five largest licensing authorities that make infrequent/no use of NR3:
Licensing Authority | Drivers Licensed (31 March 2022) | NR3 Searches (Jan-Dec 2022) | NR3 Entries (Jan-Dec 2022) |
Birmingham City Council | 6,280 | 1 | 0 |
Manchester City Council | 5,789 | 0 | 0 |
Sefton Council | 5,701 | 0 | 0 |
Newcastle City Council | 4,576 | 0 | 0 |
Liverpool City Council | 3,360 | 0 | 0 |
For context, Manchester City Council activated its NR3 account in August 2022 whereas other authorities had activated accounts from the start of the year.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) support new and emerging talent performing at grassroots music venues and (b) improve funding opportunities.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting emerging musical talent and our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector.
The Government is supporting grassroots music through Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Live Music (SGLM) ring fenced fund of £1.5m. The fund is designed for organisations - including venues and promoters - with little or no prior experience of public funding applications.
DCMS supported culture, including grassroots music, during Covid-19 through the unprecedented £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF). In England, the CRF provided immediate assistance to prevent 136 of our most loved and enduring grassroots music venues closing their doors for good.
In addition, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme has provided support to all businesses across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including grassroots music venues, protecting all non-domestic consumers from soaring energy costs, cutting the cost of power bills and providing them with the certainty they needed to plan through the acute crisis this winter. We will continue to do so through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme until Spring 2024.
The Government also supports new and emerging talent through a range of export support programmes, including the successful Music Export Growth Scheme and the International Showcase Fund.
DCMS and the Department for Education jointly published the National Plan for Music Education in June 2022, which sets out the Government’s vision to enable all children and young people in England to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
Finally, DCMS is also developing a Creative Industries Sector Vision that will set out this Government’s ambitions, shared with industry, to support this high-growth sector to 2030.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will extend social investment tax relief to grassroots music venues.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) was introduced in the Finance Bill in 2014. It aims to incentivise individuals to invest in organisations (‘social enterprises’) whose trading activities seek to generate profit and bring social or community benefit.
Eligibility criteria and guidance on how to apply for the relief scheme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/venture-capital-schemes-apply-to-use-social-investment-tax-relief#trades.
Most profit seeking commercial trades qualify for the relief, and the criteria do not explicitly rule out grassroots music venues from receiving it. However, if your trade includes things like including property development or leasing activities, your enterprise may not qualify for SITR on the basis certain trades are often asset backed or have predictable or guaranteed revenue streams, making them lower risk. In turn, this could divert capital away from higher-risk enterprises that genuinely struggle to raise finance.
The Government keeps SITR under review in order to ensure it continues to meet its policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Palestinian Authority on tackling corruption in that region.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is regular high-level engagement between the UK and the Palestinian Authority, both through our Consulate-General in Jerusalem and through inward and outward visits. We will continue to encourage the Palestinian leadership to work toward strong, inclusive, accountable and democratic institutions, based on respect for the rule of law and human rights. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon offered the UK's support in efforts to de-escalate the situation on the ground, in his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Palestinian Foreign Minister Malki, during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of health technology appraisals conducted by NICE for therapies in combination have resulted in (a) termination, (b) a negative recommendation, (c) an optimised recommendation, (d) a positive recommendation or (e) a recommendation for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund or Innovative Medicines Fund.
Answered by Will Quince
Between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, 20% of appraisals of combination therapies undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were terminated due to the company not making an evidence submission to NICE.
Of the technologies appraised by NICE, 4% were not recommended, 31% were recommended for routine commissioning, 52% were optimised recommendations and 12% were recommended or optimised for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund.
No applications were recommended for the Innovative Medicines fund.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of health technology appraisals conducted by NICE for follow-on indications have resulted in (a) termination, (b) a negative recommendation, (c) an optimised recommendation, (d) a positive recommendation and (e) a recommendation for use within the (i) Cancer Drugs Fund and (ii) and Innovative Medicines Fund.
Answered by Will Quince
Between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022 31% of appraisals of licence extensions by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were terminated due to the company not making an evidence submission to NICE. Of the licence extensions appraised by NICE 10% were not recommended, 37% were recommended for routine commissioning, 34% were optimised recommendations and 20% were recommended or optimised for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund. No applications were recommended for the Innovative Medicines fund.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of medicines appraised by NICE since 1 January 2017 were medicines that have already been appraised by NICE for another indication.
Answered by Will Quince
Between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published technology appraisal guidance on 156 new active substances in their first indication and 120 on extensions to marketing authorisations that added a significant new therapeutic indication.