Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the capped VPAG rate referred to in the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will only apply to pharmaceutical products of US origin.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 25% net increase in prices for new medicines and the 15% VPAG repayment cap on annual NHS medicines spend.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from which Department’s budget the additional NHS medicines spend following the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will be funded.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the US Trade Representative's press release entitled U.S. Government Announces Agreement in Principle with the United Kingdom on Pharmaceutical Pricing, published on 1 December 2025, what the other commitments referred to are.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As set out by the Secretary of State in his written statement to Parliament on 2 December, we have secured a zero percent tariff on all pharmaceuticals exported to the US - the lowest rate offered to any country. The UK has also secured preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports for three years, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technologies.
This agreement was supported by the government’s commitment to investing 25% more in new innovative medicines – the first major increase in over two decades – which will support improved access to new medicines for NHS patients.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what mechanisms within the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal will ensure that pharmaceutical products launched in the UK with a lower price than in the US will not trigger Most Favoured Nation rebates.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have secured the first and only deal with the US that delivers zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country.
It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.
The UK and the US have confirmed the headline terms of this deal. Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Department is responsible for monitoring of pharmaceutical provisions within the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal; and whether he plans to update Parliament on those provisions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT Secretary of State made a written statement to Parliament on 2 December.
This deal is the first and only agreement with the US that secures zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country. It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.
The Department for Business and Trade remains the lead department for EPD negotiations.
There will be further work to finalise underpinning details.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what legal instrument establishes Most Favoured Nation mitigations in the deal with the US on pharmaceuticals.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have secured the first and only deal with the US that delivers zero percent tariffs on pharmaceutical products – the lowest rate offered to any country.
It delivers mitigations on the US’ ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy and preferential terms for UK medtech exports – helping expand access to innovative treatments for patients and driving crucial investment in the UK.
The UK and the US have confirmed the headline terms of this deal. Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the mitigations are under the US Most Favoured Nation drug pricing initiative as referred to in the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The US has committed to ensuring that access to medicines and launches of new innovative medicines in the UK are not inadvertently impacted by the US’s ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy, thereby reducing the risk to the UK where the NHS has managed to secure lower prices for medicines.
Further work to finalise underpinning details is ongoing.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the effect of no national oversight relating to the quality of vision rehabilitation services for patients in England and (b) the experiences of those with sight loss when it comes to being able to use those services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes encouraging a wide range of service provision to ensure that people, including those with sight loss, have a choice of appropriate services and equipment that maximises independence.
Although the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is not currently required to assess vision rehabilitation services, as regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, sensory services, including vision rehabilitation, do form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care.
CQC assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for development, in their delivery of their duties under part 1 of the Care Act. This facilitates the sharing of good practice and helps us to target support where it is most needed. The CQC will report on sensory services when there is something important to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
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 recent trends in the number of patients receiving timely access to vision rehabilitation services in line with industry best practice.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now assessing how local authorities are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. These assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for development, facilitating the sharing of good practice, and helping us to target support where it is most needed. This means that sensory services, including vision rehabilitation, form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report on sensory services when there is something important to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.