– in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 November 2023.
Jackie Baillie
Labour
The First Minister may be aware that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Medicines Consortium have determined that cystic fibrosis drugs that are literally life saving will no longer be available on the national health service, because they consider the drugs to be clinically effective but not cost effective. It is important to say, though, that those already receiving Orkambi, Symkevi and Kaftrio will continue to do so, but new patients will not.
The First Minister knows that cystic fibrosis is a life-limiting condition. Will he meet CF families and work with the United Kingdom Government to negotiate a more acceptable cost from the drug manufacturer, Vertex, to literally save lives?
Humza Yousaf
Scottish National Party
I thank Jackie Baillie for raising a very important point. We will continue our engagement with drug companies and the UK Government. The Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care regularly meets families that have been impacted and affected.
It is important to reiterate Jackie Baillie’s point that existing patients who are on a treatment for cystic fibrosis will continue to have access to the existing treatments after NICE has issued its final recommendations, irrespective of the outcome. However, I know that discussions are on-going, and I know that the SMC is collaborating with NICE on a joint multiple-technology appraisal of several cystic fibrosis medicines, including Kaftrio. The SMC will publish final recommendations, aligned with NICE guidance, for health boards in Scotland to consider. We will certainly seek to take up the suggestion from Jackie Baillie on conversations and engagement with the drug companies.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
