Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 1 May 2019 (HL Deb, col 1020) that they intend to "ensure that the review takes into account the benefits offered by new treatments for severe life-threatening and rare diseases", what plans they have to provide assurances that NICE will not end the use of rarity as a decision modifier in its highly specialised technology appraisal process.

It is too soon to comment on the potential outcomes of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) methods review and any changes to that may be proposed, but issues around the use of modifiers are being explored.

NICE expects to consult on the case for change later this year, and there will be a second consultation in 2021 on the updated methods manual.