§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards establishing his Department's medicines control agency as an executive agency.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI am pleased to announce that the Medicines Control Agency will be established as the second executive agency of the Department of Health on 11 July. The agency's role is to act on behalf of Ministers, the licensing authority, to safeguard public health by controlling medicines. It does this through a system of licensing, classification, monitoring and enforcement which ensures that medicines are of acceptable standards of safety, quality and efficacy. The agency's detailed aim, objectives and functions are set out in a framework document, copies of which will be placed in the Library. In accordance with next steps principles, the agency will be free to propose further adaptations to it if changing circumstances make this appropriate.
The chief executive has been set a number of key performance targets for 1991–92, These cover:
- —standards of safety and quality;
- —standards of service
- —standards of financial control and efficiency.
A copy of the agency's business plan, in which the targets are detailed, will be placed in the Library.
Over the coming years, I will be setting the agency a range of performance targets to ensure that it continues to deliver improvements in the quality and efficiency of its work in the interests of the public health.