Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health has seen the complaint by the Nordic Cochrane Centre to the European Medicines Agency regarding maladministration at that organisation; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware of the document from the Nordic Cochrane Centre. Whilst the issues raised are a matter for the European Medicines Agency (EMA), we are satisfied that the EMA has adequate processes in place to manage any potential conflicts of interest of its scientific experts and to uphold the integrity and impartiality of its decision-making. There was consensus agreement amongst EU Member States on the conclusions of the recent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine safety review, and we have confidence in the outcome of this review.

Aside from the EMA review, the World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety advised in December 2015 that it had not found any safety issues to date that would alter its recommendation to use the vaccine. It concluded that there is no evidence that postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome are associated with HPV vaccination. Thorough reviews undertaken by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Canada have also concluded that available evidence does not support a link between HPV vaccine and development of serious and chronic illnesses.