Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 1 October (HL3630), and given that they do not collect data on the cost of responding to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, what steps they are taking to establish a national framework to track NHS outbreak-response expenditure by disease type and shift the focus from treatment to prevention.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The shift from treatment to prevention is at the heart of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, and that plan explicitly recognises the importance of vaccines in helping to drive that shift. We will keep any proposals for strengthening those efforts under review, but we do not envisage any current need for a new framework of the kind the Noble Lord describes.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of Biogen's withdrawal of omaveloxolone from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisal process, (1) what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with Biogen about re-engaging with that process; and (2) what action, if any, they are taking to encourage Biogen to make a new evidence submission.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England will be holding a commercial surgery with Biogen in December, which is expected to include discussion of omaveloxolone alongside other products.
Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in the devolved administrations are a matter for their own governments.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the agreement between Biogen and the Health Service Executive in Ireland and the improved commercial offer that enabled reimbursement; and whether they have considered whether a similar approach could provide a route to access omaveloxolone for patients in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England will be holding a commercial surgery with Biogen in December, which is expected to include discussion of omaveloxolone alongside other products.
Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in the devolved administrations are a matter for their own governments.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ 2026 work programme, published on 11 March, which stated that its review of cannabis-based products for medicinal use was expected to be completed by summer 2026, (1) what discussions they have had with the Council about the status of the review and the reasons for the delay, (2) when they expect the review to be published, and (3) what process and timetable they plan to follow in considering and responding to its recommendations.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (‘ACMD’) to review the current evidence on cannabis-based products for medicinal (‘CBPMs’) on 2 June 2025. The commission invited the ACMD to consider whether the legislation has had the desired impact and any unintended consequences.
The ACMD is an independent scientific advisory body and determines its own procedures. In its Work Programme, published on 21 September 2026, that ACMD has said that it expects to publish the report on CBPMs by the end of the year. The Government will consider the ACMD’s advice carefully once it is published.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 September (HL2139), what interim measures are in place to help support treatments for rare diseases to navigate the highly specialised technologies programme while The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence review of its approach to valuing rare disease medicines through its Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory is undertaken.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the early stages of its Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory project on valuing rare diseases. A detailed project scope will be communicated to stakeholders by December 2026. NICE expects the project to take two years.
NICE’s published methods and processes for health technology evaluation remain in place. NICE has a strong track record of recommending medicines for rare diseases, and since March 2024, NICE has recommended 89% of the rare disease medicines, including advanced therapies, that it has appraised for some or all of the patients who would be eligible under the marketing authorisation.
NICE also operates a highly specialised technologies programme for the evaluation of a small number of medicines for the treatment of very rare diseases.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 September (HL2139), what are the (1) specific terms of reference, (2) dates for public consultations, and (3) expected publication timeline for The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence review of its approach to valuing rare disease medicines through its Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the early stages of its Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory project on valuing rare diseases. A detailed project scope will be communicated to stakeholders by December 2026. NICE expects the project to take two years.
NICE’s published methods and processes for health technology evaluation remain in place. NICE has a strong track record of recommending medicines for rare diseases, and since March 2024, NICE has recommended 89% of the rare disease medicines, including advanced therapies, that it has appraised for some or all of the patients who would be eligible under the marketing authorisation.
NICE also operates a highly specialised technologies programme for the evaluation of a small number of medicines for the treatment of very rare diseases.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their expected key milestones are between now and April 2027 for the transfer to Integrated Care Boards of responsibility for the commissioning of vaccination services; and whether they will publish the related safe transfer checklist to enable external stakeholders to monitor ICB readiness.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccination and screening commissioning functions are due to be delegated from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care directly to integrated care boards (ICBs) from 1 April 2027. The key milestones between now and April 2027 are set out in the table below. The Safe Transfer Checklist is an operational tool for use by NHS England and ICB teams and is not intended for formal publication.
Area | Milestone | Target Date | Progress |
Governance | ICB operating models confirmed, i.e. Offices for Pan ICB Commissioning (OPICs) | Mar 26 | Complete |
Confirmation of services transferring | Aug 26 | Complete | |
Submission of draft Delegation Agreement, Oversight Framework to Ministers | Dec 26 | On target | |
Responsibility transfers to ICBs and formal establishment of OPIC | Apr 27 | On target | |
Readiness | Undertake scenario testing | Mar 26 | Complete |
Develop and release OPIC Toolkit | Jun 26 | Complete | |
Develop and share Safe Transfer Checklist (DST) | May 26 | Complete | |
Regional reporting on preparatory work and readiness (progress on the STC) | Oct 26 to Mar 27 | On target | |
Key information shared with ICBs via the FutureNHS platform | Nov 26 | On target | |
Deliver additional support activity - e.g. webinars | Jan to Mar 27 | On target | |
Delegation Agreement | Finalise Delegation Agreement from the Secretary of State to ICBs | Nov 26 | On target |
Populate Delegation Agreement / Department of Health and Social Care signing | Jan 27 | On target | |
ICB Board approval / signing | Mar 27 | On target | |
Delegation Agreement takes effect | Apr 27 | On target | |
People | Consultation with staff | Timing tbc |
|
Staff transfer to ICB OPIC host | Apr 27 | On target | |
Finance, planning and contracting | Finalise funded budget for services transferring / delegating and being retained | Timing tbc |
|
Confirm financial compliance | Dec 26 | On target | |
Develop, review and update standard operating procedures | Jan 27 | On target |
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government against which criteria they assess progress in delivering the NHS England Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England; which organisations are accountable for delivery; and how progress will be reported to Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is leading delivery of the plan to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040, working alongside the Department, providers and wider health system partners. The plan aligns with the World Health Organisation’s global initiative to reduce cervical cancer incidence to fewer than four cases per 100,000, and we will report on our progress to Parliament in the normal way.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether regulations establishing the single patient record will enable regulated independent digital healthcare providers to have access to relevant patient information and to contribute clinically relevant information arising from the care they provide, subject to appropriate patient consent, information governance, security, and clinical safety requirements.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is fully intended that independent providers will be part of the Single Patient Record in respect of both NHS and privately funded services with the aim of providing effective, joined-up care. Detailed access arrangements will be set through regulations and the Single Patient Record information-governance framework. Access will require an appropriate legal basis and will be limited according to the professional's role and care relationship.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether appropriately regulated independent healthcare providers will be able to access relevant patient information through the single patient record when providing direct care to a patient; and if so, what criteria such providers will be required to meet to obtain access.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is fully intended that independent providers will be part of the Single Patient Record in respect of both NHS and privately funded services with the aim of providing effective, joined-up care. Detailed access arrangements will be set through regulations and the Single Patient Record information-governance framework. Access will require an appropriate legal basis and will be limited according to the professional's role and care relationship.