Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s publication entitled MHRA Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023, published on 19 July 2023, what estimate she has made of the resourcing challenges faced by the MHRA; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle these challenges.

The Government is committed to providing the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the resources it needs. It is funded predominately by charging fees to industry for the services it delivers, with additional funding being provided by the Department.

At the Spring Budget last year, the Government provided an additional £10 million over the next two years to support the agency in increasing approvals of innovative medicines developed in the United Kingdom and abroad.

The MHRA’s business plan speaks to its priorities in attracting and developing talent. The agency has enhanced its talented and skilled workforce with additional expertise, bringing a wide range of new skills and experience, to build capability and capacity.