Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government's policy paper, Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper, published on 6 September 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on UK medical research and clinical trials of failing to retain access to EU-wide patient groups after the UK has left the EU.

The Government's policy paper, ‘Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper’, states that one of the United Kingdom’s core objectives during negotiations is to continue to collaborate with European partners to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. As part of exit negotiations, the Government will seek agreement with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medical research and clinical trials.

UK-based researchers can currently run multi-state clinical trials and this will still be the case whatever system of clinical trial authorisation is put in place after Brexit.