Josh Fenton-Glynn

The average waiting time for a needs assessment from the date of application to the date of the assessment being carried out comprises the time taken by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to process an application and then the time taken by the contracted suppliers Capita and Study Tech to process the needs assessment.

The time taken by SLC to process an application is published online at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfe-current-application-timescales. The latest weekly update, for February, shows that the average time taken for SLC to process an application, shown under the heading “a DSA application”, is currently 7 working days. The average time taken for the contracted suppliers to offer and complete the needs assessment is currently 28 days. Each supplier has been set two individual KPIs to cover the offer and completion of the needs assessment. These are KPI 1, “Booking of a Needs Assessment Appointment (Minimum of 95% of offer of needs assessment appointment made within 2 working days of referral of customer by SLC)” and KPI 2, “Completion of a Needs Assessment (Minimum of 95% of needs assessment interviews should be offered and completed within 7 working days of successful contact (excluding those where the customer has requested an alternative date))”.

Following completion of the needs assessment, both suppliers are required to return the needs assessment report to SLC for review within 5 workings days, as stipulated by KPI 3, “Minimum of 95% of NARs made available to SLC within 5 working days of when needs assessments undertaken (excluding those where the customer has requested to review the needs assessment report)”. It is currently taking suppliers on average 14 days to return the needs assessment report to SLC. The needs assessment is then reviewed by SLC, following which confirmation of entitlement is communicated to the customer on the DSA2 letter. It is currently taking SLC 10 working days to complete this stage of the journey, as noted on the GOV.UK page under the heading “a Needs Assessment report”.

Information on the suppliers’ performance against their KPIs is published online on a quarterly basis here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ds. The next update will be published at the end of February.

All students applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) are required to have a needs assessment. This means that assistive software for spelling and grammar support has only been awarded when recommended in a needs assessment and agreed by SLC.

Data on the number of students awarded specific assistive software for spelling and grammar support through DSA for the time periods specified in the question is not immediately available, but in the 2023 calendar year this was around 36,000.

A list of the assistive software products for spelling and grammar support that have previously been awarded through DSA is published online here: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/exchange-blog/2017/april/dsa-product-review-process/. This list is for administrative purposes only. Products that are not on the list can also be funded through DSA if they are recommended by a needs assessor and agreed by SLC. Overall, agreed spend on spelling and grammar software through DSA is in the region of £4.5 million to £5 million annually. The total spend on each software product within that varies, as it depends on which products are recommended by needs assessors as being most suitable for students’ needs. As an illustration, in the 2023 calendar year, around 80% of total spend was on non-specialist grammar and spelling products, with Grammarly Premium making up 53% of total spend and Global Autocorrect 24% of total spend. Around 20% of total spend was on specialist grammar and spelling products for specific subject areas such as medicine and law, with Medincle products making up 16% of total spend.

The average waiting time for a needs assessment from the date of application to the date of the assessment being carried out comprises the time taken by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to process an application and then the time taken by the contracted suppliers Capita and Study Tech to process the needs assessment.

The time taken by SLC to process an application is published online at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfe-current-application-timescales. The latest weekly update, for February, shows that the average time taken for SLC to process an application, shown under the heading “a DSA application”, is currently 7 working days. The average time taken for the contracted suppliers to offer and complete the needs assessment is currently 28 days. Each supplier has been set two individual KPIs to cover the offer and completion of the needs assessment. These are KPI 1, “Booking of a Needs Assessment Appointment (Minimum of 95% of offer of needs assessment appointment made within 2 working days of referral of customer by SLC)” and KPI 2, “Completion of a Needs Assessment (Minimum of 95% of needs assessment interviews should be offered and completed within 7 working days of successful contact (excluding those where the customer has requested an alternative date))”.

Following completion of the needs assessment, both suppliers are required to return the needs assessment report to SLC for review within 5 workings days, as stipulated by KPI 3, “Minimum of 95% of NARs made available to SLC within 5 working days of when needs assessments undertaken (excluding those where the customer has requested to review the needs assessment report)”. It is currently taking suppliers on average 14 days to return the needs assessment report to SLC. The needs assessment is then reviewed by SLC, following which confirmation of entitlement is communicated to the customer on the DSA2 letter. It is currently taking SLC 10 working days to complete this stage of the journey, as noted on the GOV.UK page under the heading “a Needs Assessment report”.

Information on the suppliers’ performance against their KPIs is published online on a quarterly basis here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ds. The next update will be published at the end of February.

All students applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) are required to have a needs assessment. This means that assistive software for spelling and grammar support has only been awarded when recommended in a needs assessment and agreed by SLC.

Data on the number of students awarded specific assistive software for spelling and grammar support through DSA for the time periods specified in the question is not immediately available, but in the 2023 calendar year this was around 36,000.

A list of the assistive software products for spelling and grammar support that have previously been awarded through DSA is published online here: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/exchange-blog/2017/april/dsa-product-review-process/. This list is for administrative purposes only. Products that are not on the list can also be funded through DSA if they are recommended by a needs assessor and agreed by SLC. Overall, agreed spend on spelling and grammar software through DSA is in the region of £4.5 million to £5 million annually. The total spend on each software product within that varies, as it depends on which products are recommended by needs assessors as being most suitable for students’ needs. As an illustration, in the 2023 calendar year, around 80% of total spend was on non-specialist grammar and spelling products, with Grammarly Premium making up 53% of total spend and Global Autocorrect 24% of total spend. Around 20% of total spend was on specialist grammar and spelling products for specific subject areas such as medicine and law, with Medincle products making up 16% of total spend.

We only hold data on PIP claimants who are also in receipt of out of work benefits. We do not hold data on their eligibility for benefits they are not in receipt of. Table 1 shows the number of PIP claimants in receipt of out of work benefits in February 2025 who scored fewer than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Table 1. The number of PIP claimants in receipt of out of work benefits as of February 2025 who scored fewer than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Notes:

• Figures for England and Wales.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, ‘-‘ refers to fewer than 5 cases in this category.
• Figures for all claimants in receipt of PIP and out of work benefits, this includes claimants with suspended payments.
• PIP claimants scoring between 8 and 11 points across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Standard Daily Living.
• PIP claimants scoring 12 points or more across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Enhanced Daily Living.
• Information on out of work benefits can be found here: Benefit Combinations - Data from May 2019 for England and Wales.

The Department does not hold data on whether Personal Independence Payment claimants are waiting for or receiving treatment for their primary medical condition.

We only hold data on whether a claimant was employed or self-employed for each month up to March 2024. We do not hold any data on full-time or part-time work. Therefore, Table 1 shows the number of PIP claimants in employment in March 2024 who scored less than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Table 1. The number of PIP claimants in employment at the end of March 2024 who scored fewer than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Notes:

• Figures for England and Wales.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, ‘-‘ refers to fewer than 5 cases in this category.
• Figures include both employed and self-employed PIP claimants.
• PIP claimants scoring between 8 and 11 points across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Standard Daily Living.
• PIP claimants scoring 12 points or more across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Enhanced Daily Living.

We only hold data on whether a claimant was employed or self-employed for each month up to March 2024. We do not hold any data on full-time or part-time work. Therefore, Table 1 shows the number of PIP claimants in employment in March 2024 who scored less than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Table 1. The number of PIP claimants in employment at the end of March 2024 who scored fewer than 4 points in all Daily Living activities, by Standard and Enhanced PIP Daily Living and primary medical condition.

Notes:

• Figures for England and Wales.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, ‘-‘ refers to fewer than 5 cases in this category.
• Figures include both employed and self-employed PIP claimants.
• PIP claimants scoring between 8 and 11 points across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Standard Daily Living.
• PIP claimants scoring 12 points or more across all ten Daily Living activities are awarded Enhanced Daily Living.

The table below shows the volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who were awarded more than 12 points in the daily living component but fewer than 4 points in all daily living activities, broken down by the number of daily living activities in which they were awarded a score of at least two. This is provided for all PIP clearances which took place in 2024, for all PIP claimants and broken down by condition for those PIP claimants with a psychiatric disorder as their main disabling condition. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 1: Selected detail on PIP point scores for PIP claimants with more than 12 daily living points but fewer than 4 points in all daily living activities

Source: DWP Administrative Data

Notes:

• Data only includes claimants living in regions under DWP policy ownership (England, Wales and Abroad).
• Figures are for assessments from both initial decisions and award reviews, with the date of assessment decision and clearance in 2024.
• Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.
• Data only includes working age claimants.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Values greater than 0 but below 5 have been replaced with a dash.
• Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. Under the current eligibility criteria, 19% of award reviews over the last 5 years have resulted in an increased award. After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30.

Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected.

The change includes a run-on of PIP entitlement for 13 weeks as a financial protection, which will apply to claimants who lose entitlement on award review because of the new requirement. This run-on will extend to passported benefits such as Carer’s Allowance and the UC carer’s element. Claimants will continue to receive these awards during the run on period.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of working age people on PIP/DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending will rise from £23 billion in 24/25 to £31 billion in 29/30.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

The table below shows the volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who were awarded more than 12 points in the daily living component but fewer than 4 points in all daily living activities, broken down by the number of daily living activities in which they were awarded a score of at least two. This is provided for all PIP clearances which took place in 2024, for all PIP claimants and broken down by condition for those PIP claimants with a psychiatric disorder as their main disabling condition. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 1: Selected detail on PIP point scores for PIP claimants with more than 12 daily living points but fewer than 4 points in all daily living activities

Source: DWP Administrative Data

Notes:

• Data only includes claimants living in regions under DWP policy ownership (England, Wales and Abroad).
• Figures are for assessments from both initial decisions and award reviews, with the date of assessment decision and clearance in 2024.
• Data includes normal rules claimants only, and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.
• Data only includes working age claimants.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Values greater than 0 but below 5 have been replaced with a dash.
• Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. Under the current eligibility criteria, 19% of award reviews over the last 5 years have resulted in an increased award. After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30.

Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected.

The change includes a run-on of PIP entitlement for 13 weeks as a financial protection, which will apply to claimants who lose entitlement on award review because of the new requirement. This run-on will extend to passported benefits such as Carer’s Allowance and the UC carer’s element. Claimants will continue to receive these awards during the run on period.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of working age people on PIP/DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending will rise from £23 billion in 24/25 to £31 billion in 29/30.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

In 2024, 62,370 PIP claimants were awarded 12 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition is provided in Table 1 below. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 1: Volume of PIP claimants who scored 12 or more points total in Daily Living activities, but scored less than 4 points in all questions by Psychiatric Disorder

In 2024, 10 claimants were awarded PIP and scored 19 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition cannot be provided, as all values are less than 5 and must therefore be omitted to protect against claimant identification.

It is not possible to score more than 21 points across all Daily Living activities while scoring fewer than 4 points in each activity, therefore there are no claimants who scored 22 points across all Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity.

In 2024, 6,160 claimants were awarded PIP and scored 41 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition is provided in Table 2 below. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 2: Volume of PIP claimants who scored 41 or more points total in Daily Living activities

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. Under the current eligibility criteria, 19% of award reviews over the last 5 years have resulted in an increased award. After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30.

Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected.

The change includes a run-on of PIP entitlement for 13 weeks as a financial protection, which will apply to claimants who lose entitlement on award review because of the new requirement. This run-on will extend to passported benefits such as Carer’s Allowance and the UC carer’s element. Claimants will continue to receive these awards during the run on period.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of working age people on PIP/DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending will rise from £23 billion in 24/25 to £31 billion in 29/30.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Notes:

- The data provided have been rounded to the nearest 10. Values greater than 0 but lower than 5 have been replaced with a dash.

- The data provided covers claimants who fall under DWP policy ownership only (England, Wales and Abroad).

- The data provided includes normal rules claimants only and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.

- The data provided covers working age claimants only.

- The volumes provided are from assessments for both initial decisions and award reviews, with the assessment decision and clearance in 2024.

In 2024, 62,370 PIP claimants were awarded 12 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition is provided in Table 1 below. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 1: Volume of PIP claimants who scored 12 or more points total in Daily Living activities, but scored less than 4 points in all questions by Psychiatric Disorder

In 2024, 10 claimants were awarded PIP and scored 19 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition cannot be provided, as all values are less than 5 and must therefore be omitted to protect against claimant identification.

It is not possible to score more than 21 points across all Daily Living activities while scoring fewer than 4 points in each activity, therefore there are no claimants who scored 22 points across all Daily Living activities but scored fewer than 4 points in each activity.

In 2024, 6,160 claimants were awarded PIP and scored 41 or more points across all of their Daily Living activities. A breakdown of those claimants with a primary condition in the Psychiatric Disorder category by their primary condition is provided in Table 2 below. This includes point scores from assessments associated with initial decisions as well as award reviews.

Table 2: Volume of PIP claimants who scored 41 or more points total in Daily Living activities

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. Under the current eligibility criteria, 19% of award reviews over the last 5 years have resulted in an increased award. After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30.

Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected.

The change includes a run-on of PIP entitlement for 13 weeks as a financial protection, which will apply to claimants who lose entitlement on award review because of the new requirement. This run-on will extend to passported benefits such as Carer’s Allowance and the UC carer’s element. Claimants will continue to receive these awards during the run on period.

Even with these reforms, the overall number of working age people on PIP/DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending will rise from £23 billion in 24/25 to £31 billion in 29/30.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Notes:

- The data provided have been rounded to the nearest 10. Values greater than 0 but lower than 5 have been replaced with a dash.

- The data provided covers claimants who fall under DWP policy ownership only (England, Wales and Abroad).

- The data provided includes normal rules claimants only and excludes special rules for end of life (SREL) claimants as they typically receive maximum or very high scores.

- The data provided covers working age claimants only.

- The volumes provided are from assessments for both initial decisions and award reviews, with the assessment decision and clearance in 2024.

The Department does not hold data on whether Personal Independence Payment claimants are waiting for or receiving treatment for their primary medical condition.

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’, by filtering for region using the ‘Geography’ filter to select ‘National – Regional – LA – OAs’ and ‘DWP Policy ownership’.

For the primary health condition, the ‘Disability’ filter can be used.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’, by filtering for region using the ‘Geography’ filter to select ‘National – Regional – LA – OAs’ and ‘DWP Policy ownership’.

For the primary health condition, the ‘Disability’ filter can be used.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

As of August 2024, the number of individuals claiming Carer’s Allowance to care for someone in Wales and the regions of England is detailed in the table below. The data is categorised by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and other benefits, which include Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA).

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

There are a total of 80 social media accounts that are operated across the department. A full list of handles can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-registered-twitter-accounts/dwp-official-twitter-accounts

There are currently no paid for subscriptions to any of these services.

Spending on social media advertising for the last three years is outlined below. This does not include cross-government campaign costs which cannot be disaggregated between Departments:

The review of the Carr-Hill formula will consider how health needs are reflected in the distribution of funding through the GP contract, drawing on a range of evidence and advice from experts.

Arrangements for the Carr-Hill review are being finalised. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.

That is why over the course of our 10 Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most. More details will be confirmed in due course.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.

That is why over the course of our 10 Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most. More details will be confirmed in due course.

Vaccines are an important tool for preventing and lessening the impacts of disease. The Department invests in vaccine research through several routes, targeting interventions in areas essential for health resilience, such as mRNA vaccine technology. For instance, the Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which includes the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway to support the rapid set up and delivery of clinical trials in the United Kingdom, including the UK’s first norovirus mRNA vaccine trial. The Department also established the Official Development Assistance-funded UK Vaccine Network Project in 2015 and has funded the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations since 2018.

More widely, the Government is partnering with industry to drive forward mRNA vaccine research and development. Through its ten-year strategic partnership with the Government, signed in 2022, Moderna will invest over £1 billion in mRNA research and development in the UK, strengthening the UK's vaccine manufacturing capacity through construction of the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre. Additionally, the Government's strategic partnership with BioNTech will see 10,000 National Health Service patients provided with personalised cancer immunotherapies, including mRNA cancer vaccines, by 2030, ensuring that UK patients have early access to these innovative new treatments.

Supporting research into vaccines is critical to improving pandemic preparedness and delivering the global 100 Days Mission, which the UK has supported since its establishment. The mission aims to have safe and effective diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines available and equitably accessible in the first 100 days of a pandemic threat being identified. The £520 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund backs UK manufacturing and will bring globally mobile manufacturing investments, including vaccines and medical technology (MedTech), to the UK, strengthening the UK’s economy and generating high-skill, high-wage jobs.

The Government is also committed to supporting the MedTech industry, which is a central pillar in the UK’s life sciences sector and will help build an NHS that is fit for the future. The Government has recently set out its plans for life sciences in the 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which includes enhancing support for MedTech small and medium-sized enterprises through UK Research and Innovation and NIHR.