HC Deb 24 June 1968 vol 767 cc107-8

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Mr. Maurice Macmillan

I beg to move Amendment No. 101, in page 99, line 6, leave out from 'with' to end of line 25 and insert: 'the provisions prescribed in Schedule (Fees chargeable in relation to licences and certificates relating to medical products)'. Owing to the difficulties of timing, I will ask leave to withdraw this Amendment, but I would be grateful if the Minister could tell us whether he intends to move something of the same sort in another place.

Mr. K. Robinson

I am afraid that, for the reasons which I gave in Standing Committee, it would not be possible to move any schedule of fees before the Commission is set up and much more extensive consultants take place. The hon. Gentleman wanted a little more information, so perhaps he would be interested to know that the Dunlop Committee has made some recent costings and that it says that, while the average cost to the Committee for a new submission with which it dealt was £72, submissions in respect of reformulations on average cost only £24, but major submissions, those in which full toxicity and pharmacody-namics data are submitted in respect of new products, cost £288.

This shows that there is a great range of different costs involved and the only assurance which I can give is that it is likely that we shall be thinking in terms of a relatively large fee for licences for new products, a lower fee for reformulations, a low fee for renewals and no charge at all for variations resulting from proposals initiated by the licensing authority. It would be undesirable to fix levels of charge in the Bill, especially without any means of revision.

I hope that, with that explanation, the hon. Gentleman will withdraw his Amendment.

Mr. Maurice Macmillan

I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

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