Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide an update on the status of the recruitment process for the Chief Executive of the MHRA.

The Government is in the process of recruiting a Chair to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The application and assessment process has concluded, and an announcement will be made when all required checks and approvals have been completed.

The process will run in accordance with the Civil Service Senior Appointments Protocol. A Civil Service Commissioner will chair this recruitment process in line with appointments of this level of seniority, and will consider the role of any incoming Chair in that process.