Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a levy on pharmaceutical and medical device companies to contribute towards compensation payments for victims of medicines or medical devices.

No such assessment has been made, but the Government recognises the significant and lasting impact that harm caused by medicines and medical devices can have on patients and their families, and where appropriate, the Government considers arrangements for redress in the context of the specific circumstances of those affected.