Okay, folks, we have got back to our agenda. I see that our audience has been released for good behaviour, after listening all morning.
Item 4 is consideration of three petitions that relate to access to new medicines and medicines for rare conditions. As members can see from paper HS/S4/16/13/11, the petitions were central to the committee’s consideration of access to new medicines. As you will remember, the issues were discussed with the cabinet secretary at our meeting last week.
Members are aware that the system for accessing new medicines has been considerably changed. The changes have been broadly—indeed, extensively—welcomed, as we heard in evidence. Even if not everything is perfect, the system has certainly improved. You will recall that the Scottish Government is about to carry out a review of the changes to the medicines appraisal system, which I am sure that we all welcome. Given that all that work has been done, I ask the committee to consider whether to close PE1398, PE1399 and PE1401. I invite members’ views.
