Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with UK Biobank on the suspension of researcher access to its Research Analysis Platform since 23 April 2026; what assessment she has made of the impact on the DecodeME project and other NIHR-funded research on developments in the field; and what steps her Department is taking to help restore access.

Further to the answer provided on 8 June in response to HL270, officials have met with UK Biobank and continue to work closely with them to restore access to the Research Analysis Platform. The impacts of the Research Analysis Platform closure include delays for researchers with time-sensitive studies, and slower innovation in the life sciences sector, so it is a key priority for our work in these areas to see that access restored.