Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to implement prescribing guidelines to limit variations in the provision and quality of NHS services between (a) clinical commissioning groups in England and (b) local health boards in Wales.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for decisions on commissioning health services to best meet the needs of their local population and are accountable for local prescribing policy decisions. In commissioning services CCGs will reflect the needs of local people and support improvements in health and healthcare outcomes.

NHS England therefore has no plans to monitor the implementation of local prescribing policies.

Arrangements for prescribing medicines in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Government.