§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations are in place governing conflicts of interest on medical advisory committees, including the(a) Committee on Safety of Medicines and (b) Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; and if he will make a statement. [162426]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonAll members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines are required to follow a code of practice relating to declarations of interests in the pharmaceutical industry. The code is comprehensive and is followed at each meeting to ensure the integrity of the advice given to Ministers by the committee. This code, and a register of member's interests, is published in the Annual Report of the Medicines Advisory Bodies. The report for 2002 is in the Library. It is also available at www.mhra.gov.uk
Members of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are also required to follow a code of practice relating to declarations of industry interests which is followed at each meeting. A register of JCVI members' interests is available on the JCVI pages of the Department of Health's website at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk