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 trends in the level of delays to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) prioritisation process and their potential impact on equitable access to treatment for people living with rare diseases.

The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) makes recommendations on NHS England’s approach to commissioning treatments that are not routinely assessed through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals. Investment decisions are taken against a discretionary funding envelope which is set annually as part of the financial planning cycle based on affordability.

The 2026/27 CPAG annual prioritisation round was held in May 2026, and the recommendations are currently being considered. In addition, CPAG continues to meet regularly throughout the year to consider clinical policy propositions that are cost-neutral or cost-saving.

While no assessment has been made of trends in CPAG recommendations and their impact on people affected by rare diseases, all clinical policy propositions are supported by an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA). The EHIA considers the potential impact of commissioning decisions on equality, health inequalities, and access to the relevant treatment for affected patient groups.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance the priorities of the framework, including getting a diagnosis faster and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs.