Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Minister for Life Sciences' announcement on 20 November 2014 on considering how to speed-up patient access to medicines, devices and diagnostics, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NICE and (b) NHS England on that matter.

The review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices. Officials have already had preliminary discussions with both the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England, and these will continue as the review progresses.