Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the impact assessment for the Medical Devices and Blood Safety and Quality (Fees Amendment) Regulations 2025, published on 25 February 2025, whether the calculations used to estimate MHRA future costs included an estimated amount to take into account the (a) rise in employer national insurance contributions and (b) lowering of the lower earnings limit for employers national contributions, as announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is subject to the increase in employer National Insurance contributions announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget. For their current fees uplift, the MHRA modelled their future costs, using historic volumes, to ensure that the uplift will deliver cost recovery until April 2027. If there are any shortfalls, the MHRA will find efficiency savings to appropriately manage them.