Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the uptake of generic and biosimilar medicines to meet the objectives set out in the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom is a global leader in adopting biosimilar and generic medicines, which deliver major National Health Service savings and expand patient access to effective treatments sooner.
We are working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and NHS England to understand forthcoming biosimilars and to ensure they reach the frontline efficiently. Through NHS England’s Best Value Biologicals Framework, clinicians start patients on the most cost‑effective biologics where appropriate, and switches are made swiftly and safely. This has already delivered £1.2 billion in savings over the past three years.
As set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are streamlining regulation, improving procurement, and reducing variation in uptake. NICE’s whole‑lifecycle approach ensures clinical pathways are regularly reviewed so that patients benefit as soon as cost‑effective generics and biosimilars become available, as seen in recent cancer treatments. These actions support timely access to effective off‑patent medicines and a sustainable, competitive market for the NHS.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure parliamentary oversight of the proposed changes to NICE regulations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The proposed amendments to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence regulations were subject to a public consultation, which ran from 9 December 2025 to 13 January 2026. The Department is currently analysing consultation responses and will shortly finalise a statutory instrument (SI) to bring forward secondary legislation to amend the regulations.
The SI will be laid before Parliament and will be subject to the negative parliamentary procedure. The policy merits of the SI will be scrutinised by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, in line with its terms of reference at the following link:
As is conventional, the SI will be laid before Parliament at least 21 days before coming into force to ensure Parliament has adequate time to consider it.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a timetable for implementing redress recommendations from the Cumberlege Review and the Hughes Report.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right. A timetable for a response has not yet been finalised.
I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding genetic for (a) the APOE4 gene and (b) other dementia-related risk factors in the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Pharmacogenomics and Medicine Optimisation NHS Genomic Network of Excellence convened a multidisciplinary meeting in November 2023 to support an impact assessment of potential testing for APOE-4 for prediction of risk of adverse events for lecanemab and donanemab. This group considered the evidence for expanding genomic testing for the APOE gene variants, including to inform other dementia related risk factors and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to offer genomic testing for the APOE gene variants as part of routine dementia care, risk assessment, or to first degree relatives of those with an already identified APOE variant to inform risk estimates of developing future Alzheimer's disease.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what dates his Department has met with patient groups representing families affected by sodium valproate since January 2024.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women's Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, the previous minister with responsibility for sodium valproate and pelvic mesh redress policy, held a roundtable with representatives of the sodium valproate patient groups in December 2024.
Since then, I met with relevant stakeholders at various parliamentary events. I also met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to reinstate the Life Sciences Council.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. The sector is forecast to grow by £41 billion and create 100,000 jobs by 2030, supporting our ambition to lead Europe in life sciences by 2030.
The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HCWS1271 of 26 January 2026t on Improving Cancer Care and Early Diagnosis, when the National Cancer Plan will be published; what interim milestones have been set ahead of publication; what engagement has taken place with NHS England, Cancer Alliances and patient groups; and what mechanisms will be used to ensure delivery against the Plan’s commitments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan was published on the 4 February 2026.
The Department received more than 11,000 responses to a Call for Evidence alongside significant engagement with patients, families, carers, clinicians, researchers, cancer charities and voluntary groups.
Now that the National Cancer Plan is published, the Department, NHS England and the Cancer Alliances will continue to work together with partners across the healthcare landscape to ensure it is delivered, to transform cancer care and save lives.
The Government has committed to a clear accountability structure for the plan, where Cancer Alliances play a leading role to deliver it, working with local systems. A reformed National Cancer Board, jointly chaired by the Department and an independent representative, will track progress against the Plans commitments and provide regular updates to ministers. The plan includes tables at the end of each chapter, setting out when commitments should be delivered and which organisation will be responsible.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies entitled Now You See It, Now You Don't, published on 29 January 2026.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the harms associated with alcohol consumption and has taken crucial steps in the 10-Year Health Plan to support people to make healthier choices. There is a balance to be struck, and the Government continues to consider carefully what other measures might be needed to turn the tide on alcohol harms, while continuing to support economic growth.
Currently, alcohol advertisements follow voluntary codes, regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA’s Advertising Codes contain specific rules about how alcohol can be advertised, as they recognise the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible.
The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as the lead Government department responsible for advertising, to consider if additional statutory restrictions on marketing and advertising are needed to reduce alcohol related harms.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provision the National Cancer Plan will make for orphan drug pathways for patients with rare cancers requiring personalised treatment plans; and how those pathways will differ from existing commissioning arrangements.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 February 2026, NHS England and the Department published a National Cancer Plan for England. The National Cancer Plan is part of our work to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and will make England a world-leader for cancer survival.
The orphan drug designation is assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and is granted at the same time as the marketing authorisation. It provides a period of market exclusivity during which similar competitor medicines cannot enter the United Kingdom market. The orphan drug regulations are designed to support the development of medicines to treat rare diseases including rare cancers.
All new licensed medicines, including orphan medicines, are evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations for the NHS on whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE. NICE has a strong track record in recommending orphan medicines for use on the NHS and many thousands of patients with rare diseases have benefitted from access to new medicines as a result.
The Rare Cancers Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, places a duty on the Government to publish a review of the law related to marketing authorisation for rare cancer drugs, for instance orphan drugs for cancer, comparing the UK’s approach to other approaches internationally. Through the National Cancer Plan the Government has committed to full implement of the Rare Cancers Bill to streamline trial pathways and review regulatory barriers that prevent access to promising new treatments.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is the Department taking to remove barriers preventing community homelessness health services, such as mobile clinics, from accessing NHS SystemOne records.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that community health teams can access the information they need to provide quality care, including for people who are experiencing homelessness. NHS England and the Phoenix Partnership (TPP), the company that provides SystemOne, already offer several routes for some clinicians to view records outside of GP settings.
These include national services such as GP Connect and the National Care Records Service (NCRS), which allow clinicians to see key information from GP records. NCRS can also be used on mobile devices such as iPads. Integrated care systems are rolling out Shared Care Records, which give clinicians wider access to both GP and secondary care records, where appropriate.
More broadly, the Government’s commitments to improve health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness. Through this strategy, we are working with NHS England, local authorities, and third sector partners to strengthen integrated care pathways. This includes improving collaboration between primary care, outreach teams, and community services. More information about the strategy is available at the following link:
The Single Patient Record will enable improvements as it will provide a comprehensive view of health and care information across care settings. It will give both patients and professionals secure access to a single, accurate and up-to-date record – wherever and whenever it's needed.