§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days were spent between June 2003 and May 2004 on the review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and related antidepressants being conducted by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Committee on Safety of Medicines. [179718]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was established in May 2003 and met 11 times between June 2003 and May 2004. The CSM has considered reports from the expert working group on seven occasions. A range of staff from a number of different disciplines within the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has been involved in the review at various stages. It is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the number of working days spent on the review because the proportion of staff time dedicated to the review has varied according to the type of input required over the time period in question.