Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with devolved administrations to develop a shared nationwide research strategy for rare and less common cancers, including sarcoma, to overcome barriers including market failure in the development of new drugs and underfunding, and to promote clinical trials and patients' equitable access to them and speed up the development of new treatments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to work with the devolved administrations to develop a nationwide research strategy for rare and less common cancers. However, both the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which is the Department’s research delivery arm, and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are members of the UK Cancer Research Strategy Forum, which brings together funders and other stakeholders from across the United Kingdom to share information and identify areas for collaboration where beneficial. Similarly, we acknowledge the importance of a UK-wide data focus, and that health and care data can be accessed safely and effectively across the UK to support individual care and to improve outcomes.
The Department is proud to invest £1.6 billion each year on research through the NIHR. NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.
The NIHR is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, by working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers.
The Government supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and increase access to innovative treatments for rare cancers, such as sarcoma. As such, the Department has been closely engaging with the devolved administrations who are supportive of the ambitions of the bill.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.
The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including rare and less common cancers. It remains committed to the role of research to improve outcomes for patients.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the findings of the EFPIA Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2024; and (2) the case for health technology assessment reform at NICE to improve the availability of innovative therapies on the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the National Health Service. Analysis from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations’ waiting to access innovative therapies indicators, published in May, showed that England’s ranking had improved from 9th to 6th for the total rate of availability of innovative medicines compared to last year’s report.
NICE keeps the methods and processes it uses to develop its recommendations under review to ensure that they are appropriate to emerging technologies and represent best practice. The Life Sciences Sector Plan, published in July, states that any future changes through NICE’s modular updates can be considered where they are evidence based, financially sustainable, and represent value to the taxpayer. This ensures that new medicines do not displace funding for other more effective treatments and services that are so important to delivering high-quality care for patients.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in the number of terminated NICE appraisals in the 2019–24 period, compared to the preceding five-year period.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) data on terminated appraisals shows that terminated appraisals increased from 2019 to 2021 and stabilised thereafter.
There is no overall increasing trend, in fact the percentage of terminated appraisals has fallen in the last three years, and was 18% in 2024/25.
NICE’s appraisals may be terminated for a number of reasons, including a delay in the evidence provided by the manufacturer being ready.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with devolved administrations to improve data collection on sarcoma to ensure accuracy of data and timeliness of reporting; and to commission a nationwide sarcoma audit based on the National Cancer Audit model to provide data about delivery against guidelines, highlight variations in outcomes, and give healthcare providers, commissioners and regulators data to improve care for patients.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have received Sarcoma UK’s report reviewing sarcoma care across the United Kingdom and it is currently being considered. The National Cancer Plan will drive improvements on all fronts, including research, innovation, diagnosis, treatment, and care, in order to improve the experiences and outcomes for patients with rare cancers, including sarcoma patients.
Reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the National Health Service. The Department is working with the National Disease Registration Service and NHS England to address data as a cross-cutting issue for cancer, ensuring that improvements in data collection and integration underpin our efforts to drive clinical quality improvement.
National Disease Registration Service analysts attend quarterly meetings with United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries analysts to discuss any differences in the reporting of cancer data and how these can be made analogous. We will continue the work of the national clinical audits to reduce unwarranted variation.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to respond to Sarcoma UK’s recent report, Unique Among Cancers: a state of the nation review of sarcoma treatment and services across the UK, and its recommendations for how to improve sarcoma care and treatment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have received Sarcoma UK’s report reviewing sarcoma care across the United Kingdom and it is currently being considered. The National Cancer Plan will drive improvements on all fronts, including research, innovation, diagnosis, treatment, and care, in order to improve the experiences and outcomes for patients with rare cancers, including sarcoma patients.
Reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the National Health Service. The Department is working with the National Disease Registration Service and NHS England to address data as a cross-cutting issue for cancer, ensuring that improvements in data collection and integration underpin our efforts to drive clinical quality improvement.
National Disease Registration Service analysts attend quarterly meetings with United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries analysts to discuss any differences in the reporting of cancer data and how these can be made analogous. We will continue the work of the national clinical audits to reduce unwarranted variation.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that the standards-based market detailed in the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan will consider legal rather than voluntary standards.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is working with G7 partners to identify the outline of a proposed voluntary Standards Based Market to ensure the secure supply of responsibly produced critical minerals. We expect G7 Energy Ministers will discuss a clear articulation of this outline in late October. The UK's priority is to ensure that critical mineral markets operate in accordance with relevant international law and to standards that are rigorous and context sensitive.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the apheresis working group plans to consult external stakeholders, including patient organisations and the life sciences industry, prior to publishing the apheresis review.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The apheresis working group was established in 2024 to provide independent advice to the Department on issues around apheresis capacity and the resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply. Membership includes the UK aligned stem cell registry, health professionals, and service providers. Stakeholder views have been captured through member organisations, including the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and blood cancer charities, and industry representatives have also been invited to present at meetings of the group.
There are no plans to consult external stakeholders prior to the publication of the group’s review of apheresis capacity. The group will look at options for formalising feedback following publication.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the findings of the review undertaken by the apheresis working group.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The apheresis working group was established in 2024 to provide independent advice to the Department on issues around apheresis capacity and the resilience of the United Kingdom’s stem cell supply. The group has submitted an internal, interim report to ministers for consideration and is currently working to gather additional data to strengthen the evidence base of this report, before proceeding to publication.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost savings to the food and logistics sectors resulting from the cancellation of new checks on EU fruit and vegetable imports under the Border Target Operating Model.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work to bring forwards the end to fruit and veg easements (i.e., implementing Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) checks on fruit and veg) paused earlier this year. This reflects the decision not to implement the full BTOM check regime in the context of an SPS agreement with the EU. Accordingly, analysis of the business impacts of the BTOM checks on fruit and veg paused earlier this year and finalised cost impacts are not available.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to page 12 of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator 2023 Survey, published in June 2024, which shows that 28 per cent of new medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency had full public availability for patients in England in 2019–2022, what assessment they have made of the impact of the uniform pricing policy on the full availability of new multi-indication medicines.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. This framework includes the approach for assessing the eligibility for medicines that may treat multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing, and the terms for doing so. Following consultation, NHS England adopted the following criteria for the use of indication-specific pricing:
- the medicine for the indication under consideration meets an unmet clinical need;
- the company can demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that uniform pricing would reduce the total revenue for a medicine across all indications;
- sufficient data is available within existing National Health Service systems to make such arrangements operationally feasible; and
- the cost-effective price is highly differentiated for all indications under consideration.
NHS England’s approach to indication-specific pricing has supported patient access to medicines for many new indications which would otherwise have been unavailable if the only alternative was a uniform price for all indications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the NHS, including medicines licensed for multiple indications. The latest European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association’s Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator report 2024, published in May 2025, reports that the 37% of medicines licensed between 2020 and 2023 were fully available to NHS patients in England, compared with an European Union average of 29%.
As agreed under the terms of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, and subsequently set out in the NHS England consultation response, indication-specific pricing agreements will continue to be reserved for medicines that are normally expected to have value propositions at or below the lower end of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness range.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to faster patient access to medicines and reduced industry costs, while ensuring good value for the NHS. A new, proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisals and indication-specific pricing will streamline access for multi-indication medicines with strong outcomes and low affordability risk. This will create a more agile, predictable commercial environment that supports investment into the United Kingdom.