Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has held with Cabinet Colleagues regarding funding for financial redress to people affected by sodium valproate.

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which sets out options for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.

The Government recently responded to a statutory request by the Patient Safety Commissioner in which she requested information on Government advice, meetings, and progress regarding the Hughes Report and patient redress since October 2023. This response can be found on the Patient Safety Commissioner’s website. The Government’s response makes clear that work to consider the Hughes Report recommendations has been ongoing and includes cross-Government engagement.