Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of agreement on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on (a) service delivery and (b) costs in the NHS.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not affect the way the United Kingdom Government runs the National Health Service. It has been made clear by negotiators from both the United States and the European Union that it is up to the UK alone to decide how the NHS is run and any assertion that TTIP will undermine the government’s control of the NHS is a red herring.

The TTIP could offer great benefits to British business and for British jobs. Greater consistency in existing and new regulatory requirements would make it easier for companies - especially Small and Medium Enterprises - to access markets and, for patients, potentially help to increase access to new medicines and medical devices.