§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish the minutes of discussions between the Licensing Authority and Marketing Authorisation holders associated with the granting of product licences; [20509]
(2) if he will publish the recommendations of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [20510]
§ Ms JowellDiscussions associated with the granting of product licences, and the advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, are usually confidential between the parties concerned, since they may concern commercially sensitive information.
129WWe are committed to making available as much information as possible. We have therefore asked the Medicines Control Agency to examine its current policies on access to information about medicines. We will consider, in due course, what further action may be necessary to maximise such access while safeguarding legitimate confidential interests. We shall do so, taking account of the White Paper on Freedom of Information we published this month and in the context of European Community licensing and control procedures.