Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with NHS England about improving the process involved in assessing medicines used for treating rare diseases as described in the recent Genetics Alliance UK Patient Charter <i>Patients and Priorities of NHS England's commissioning of medicines for rare diseases</i>.

NHS England has advised that it is considering the recommendations in the Patient Charter which was published by Genetic Alliance UK on 21 October 2014.

NHS England is working with stakeholders to review the process through which it develops commissioning policies. NHS England is also considering whether it may be appropriate to reduce the usual 12-week consultation period where a technology affects a very small number of patients who have been actively engaged in developing a commissioning policy and whose views have been taken into account during that development.