Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to request that NICE routinely reports on the applicability of the budget impact test in its technology appraisal guidance.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is operationally independent and the Government has no plans to ask NICE to routinely report on the applicability of the budget impact test in its technology appraisal guidance. Departmental officials routinely meet with NICE colleagues to discuss a range of matters including, as necessary, the budget impact test.