Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence so that all patients can access the appropriate drugs and treatments their doctors think they need.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was re-established in primary legislation in April 2013. NICE plays a vital role in ensuring that National Health Service resources deliver the maximum benefit to patients and it has helped to secure access to clinically and cost effective drugs and treatments for many thousands of patients. NICE has demonstrated its ability to adapt to changes in the health and care environment, and we expect it will continue to evolve in the future.