Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the peer review system for (a) the CLOTHES trial at Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit and (b) other clinical trials.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Healthcare Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme follows a process of expert review through which research briefs, research applications and final reports are critically assessed by relevant individuals unconnected to both the decision making body and those who have prepared the material being assessed.

The practice of peer review is very commonly used to inform decision making for scientific publications and grant funding. It involves colleagues in a relevant field of expertise, including patients, members of the public, subject experts, clinical staff, service managers and public health professionals. The reviewers are selected by the NIHR.

Expert review was undertaken for the CLOTHES trial, in accordance with NIHR HTA policy. This included one public and four expert representatives. Checks were carried out to ensure that all reviewers were suitably qualified and were not conflicted.