Written question asked by Laura Moffatt (Labour) on Monday, 30 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 December 2009. It was answered by David Lammy (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 December 2009 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Medical Devices

Question: (2) what steps his Department is taking to assist UK-based life sciences companies affected by changes to the reimbursement policy for medical devices in other European countries due to come into effect in January 2010.

Answer: There are currently no plans to i) make an assessment of the effect, or ii) take specific action to support, the UK Life Science sector in relation to changes to reimbursement policy in other European countries.BIS however is committed to helping British firms who are facing unjustified barriers to operating in other EU markets. The main tool the Department has for tackling such barriers is SOLVIT. This is a pan-European network which was set up specifically as a free service to help EU citizens and businesses solve problems that arise from the incorrect application of EU law by national administrations. Companies that suspect that they may be facing such barriers should contact the UK SOLVIT centre at:"solvit@bis.gov.uk"

Secondary information