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 implications for his policies of international no-fault compensation schemes for medicine-induced harm, including those in New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark, in relation to sodium valproate.

The Department’s consideration of the Hughes Report’s recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate will take account of how other countries have chosen to approach this issue.

This is a complex, cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations. This work requires coordinated input from several departments, and we will provide a further update in due course.

I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report, and made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.