Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 05 November 2025, Official Report, column 903, what recent progress his Department has made on ensuring that the NHS supports people with Friedreich’s Ataxia.

Following the oral question, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety met with Jonathan Brash, his constituent, and Ataxia UK. Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs across all rare conditions, including Friedreich’s Ataxia. In February, we published the fifth England action plan reporting on progress. This year, we will continue to review the effectiveness of early access pathways for rare disease therapies, including the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, which are designed to help innovative treatments reach patients sooner.