Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to section 6.26 of the guidance entitled 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, published on 20 November 2023, whether her Department has been allocated additional resources to consider exceptional circumstances.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the vast majority of instances, payments required under the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth will be affordable for companies, or can be mitigated by standard price increase processes. In exceptional circumstances only, the scheme allows companies to apply to increase their National Health Service list price, and for older medicines to reduce their top-up payment percentage, even when their wider portfolio is otherwise profitable. To qualify, a product must be demonstrably uneconomic to supply, there must be clear evidence that supply disruption would otherwise occur, and this disruption must have a negative impact on patients or the NHS. The Department already has processes and committees to consider applications for exceptional circumstances, established under previous pricing schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, published on 20 November 2023, what steps her Department is taking to apply the provisions of section 6.26 on exceptional circumstances.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the vast majority of instances, payments required under the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth will be affordable for companies, or can be mitigated by standard price increase processes. In exceptional circumstances only, the scheme allows companies to apply to increase their National Health Service list price, and for older medicines to reduce their top-up payment percentage, even when their wider portfolio is otherwise profitable. To qualify, a product must be demonstrably uneconomic to supply, there must be clear evidence that supply disruption would otherwise occur, and this disruption must have a negative impact on patients or the NHS. The Department already has processes and committees to consider applications for exceptional circumstances, established under previous pricing schemes.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deadline for uncompleted inquests and civil litigation into Troubles-era offences under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on victims.

Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

From 1 May, victims and families can directly refer their cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for review and I strongly encourage them to do so.

The Commission will have extensive powers to conduct thorough investigations and will deliver better outcomes for victims and families than the current system.

Found: Not called _8 Simon Lightwood Bill Esterson Mike Kane Stephen Morgan Louise Haigh .