MPs debated availability and pricing of branded medicines on the NHS
4 December 2014
On Thursday 4 December, MPs took part in a general debate on the availability and pricing of branded medicines on the NHS. This debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following representations from Andrew Lansley and Dr Julian Huppert.
The debate was opened by Andrew Lansley, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, at 4.20pm. Shadow Health Minister Jamie Reed responded for the Opposition. Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Health, George Freeman, responded for the Government.
Watch the debate and read the transcript
- Watch Parliament TV: MPs debate the availability and pricing of branded medicines on the NHS, Thursday 4 December 2014
- Read Commons Hansard: MPs debate the availability and pricing of branded medicines on the NHS, Thursday 4 December 2014
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 1pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.