Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage innovation in gene and cell therapies and ensure that such therapies reach those patients who will benefit from such therapies.

The United Kingdom is a global leader in providing access to pioneering cell and gene therapies for treating diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease and diabetes. Indeed, 24% of developers of advanced therapy medicinal products in Europe are headquartered in the UK. Last year the National Health Service was the first health system in Europe to agree full access for a revolutionary new CAR-T treatment, representing one of the fastest funding approvals in the history of our health service.

Together with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult we have nine specialist hospitals delivering approved CAR-T therapies as well as three Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres across the UK. These centres have been assigned £30 million by UK Research and Innovation - including project funding and an Apprenticeship Training Scheme.