Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medicine by presentations included within the Voluntary Patient Access Scheme have had NHS List Price increase approved by their Department since 1 January 2020; and what was the average percentage increase for any such increases.
Answered by Will Quince
Between 1 January 2020 and 14 October 2022, members of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access have received approval for an increase to the National Health Service list price for 35 medicines, for 120 presentations. The majority of price increases have been concentrated in specific market segments particularly impacted by global cost increases in the active pharmaceutical ingredient.
Price increase requests are assessed in line with Scheme’s rules, which ensure companies cannot make excess profits by setting a return on sales target of 6% for standard price increase requests.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason her Department included branded (a) generic and (b) biosimilar medicines that delivered savings to the NHS within the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access scheme.
Answered by Will Quince
Medicines which are required to be prescribed by brand name, including some branded generics and biosimilars, are not interchangeable. Therefore, competitive forces will not act in the same way as for generic medicines and price regulation is justified. The inclusion of these medicines in the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access was agreed with industry in 2019.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to carry out an impact assessment on the effect of an increased voluntary scheme for branded medicine rate to a projected 23.7 per cent in 2023 upon the supply of medicines to the NHS.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has no plans to carry out an impact assessment on the 2023 payment percentage. The Department’s standard practice is to set the payment percentage based on measured sales. The payment percentage projected for 2023 is in line with Department projections shared with industry when the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS) was agreed.
We have seen no evidence that increased VPAS payments have or will impact on the supply of medicines to the National Health Service. Where payment rates may put pressure on the profitability of individual products, there are provisions in the scheme for companies to apply for a price increase.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to publish data comparing the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access repayments against leading European countries with similar access or rebate schemes in each year since 2015.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have no plans to do so.
Prices paid for medicines internationally are generally confidential. It is therefore not possible to make an accurate comparison of the net price of medicines between the UK and other countries, with or without rebate rates.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a comparative estimate of the annual savings that (a) unbranded generic, (b) branded generic and (c) biosimilar medicines have contributed to the NHS drug bill compared to branded prices had those medicines not been available for each year since 2012 for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The current Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access expenditure forecast assumes that average spend at patent expiry will decrease by 70% for a non-biologic medicine or 45% for a biologic medicine. The Secretary of State has also commissioned further policy advice on this matter. These assumptions will be reviewed ahead of the negotiation of a new Scheme.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of an exemption from payments for new active substances from that scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access includes a 36 month exemption from payments for drugs containing a new active substance, starting once the marketing authorisation has been granted. Treatment of new active substances under a future voluntary scheme is subject to negotiation.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people are enrolled on a T Level qualification in Harlow constituency.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
There were 106 students funded for T Levels in the 2021/22 academic year at Harlow College, the only provider offering T Levels in the constituency in 2021. The department has not published any figures for T Level student numbers in the 2022/23 academic year. We would expect to publish figures at institution level in spring 2023.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what metrics her Department uses to assess the functioning of the rental payments market within the Electronic Communications Code; and if she will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the functioning of this market.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.
The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.
Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.
In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.
Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.
The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill on the individual property rights of site providers of telecommunications equipment.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.
The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.
Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.
In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.
Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.
The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have completed a T Level qualification in Harlow constituency as of 13 October 2022.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
T Levels are a two year programme and were first taught in a modest number of providers from September 2020. No T Levels were delivered in Harlow constituency in 2020 and so no students there have yet completed a T Level.
Harlow College has been offering T Levels in the constituency since 2021 and the first students will complete their course in 2023.