Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of recent divestments made by the life sciences industry on local economies across England, including St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency.

We do not hold specific data on the impact of recent divestments on local economies, including in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, specifically.

We know this has been a challenging time for the life sciences sector, with commercial uncertainty and global competition driving recent divestment decisions. To address this, the Government has agreed a landmark trade deal with the United States which makes the United Kingdom the only country in the world to secure a zero percent tariff on pharmaceutical exports to the US, and preferential terms for medical technology exports. The Government is further securing the confidence of the pharmaceutical industry by committing to invest approximately 25% more in innovative, safe, and effective treatments, which will be the first major increase in over two decades.

We will continue to work with industry to deliver our Life Sciences Sector Plan, improve the commercial environment, and bring the benefits of a growing life sciences sector to local economies across the country.