The Medicine Control Agency is seeking "a strengthened fee base" in order to head off projected operating deficits in the future and is planning a consultation exercise on fee changes.
In an insert to the September/October, 1999, issue of its MAIL newsletter, the MCA said it made an operating surplus each fincancial year from 1992-93 until 1997-98. In April, 1998, a major reduction was made in the MCA's fees and in 1998-99 a deficit of £3.4m was reported. The projected deficit for 1999-2000 is £6.5m. The MCA says that, as a Government trading fund, it is required to break even over a period of years.