Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will (a) make an assessment of the effectiveness of clinical research practices in Singapore and (b) use that assessment to improve clinical research in the UK.

As leaders in research, science and innovation, the United Kingdom works closely with Singapore across priorities that will drive economic growth and positive societal impact. Our Prime Ministers issued a Joint Declaration on the Singapore-United Kingdom Strategic Partnership in September 2023, which includes research, science, innovation, and technology as one of five priority pillars for the partnership. We will continue to identify opportunities to learn from countries around the world, including Singapore.

We are focussed on improving clinical research in the UK based on barriers and enablers that have been identified through multiple fora and stakeholders. The vision for the Future of Clinical Research Delivery and the Government response to the O’Shaughnessy review set out our plans to speed up clinical trials, and make it easier for revolutionary healthcare treatments to get to National Health Service patients through research.