Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of the proposed £20million budget impact threshold for new medicines on (a) cancer patients and (b) breast cancer patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England have recently consulted on the proposals and will carefully consider stakeholders’ responses to the consultation before taking a decision on implementation. National Health Service patients will continue to have a right in the NHS constitution to drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance.