PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Terminal Illnesses: Drugs (18 March 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has in place to ensure that people accessing secondary health care for terminal illnesses who are (a) reliant on life-extending and (b) dependent on drugs do not have their drugs supply interrupted in the event that the UK leaves the EU (i) without an agreement and (ii) with an agreement under which the medicine supply is restricted.

Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)

Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. However, as a responsible Government we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK.

The Government has been working closely with industry to ensure the supply of medicines, including those which are used to treat people with terminal illnesses, can continue uninterrupted in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit, including building stockpiles, providing additional warehousing space and buying freight capacity on alternative ferry routes.

The Department, together with industry and the National Health Service, has analysed the supply chains of 12,300 medicines and we are grateful for excellent engagement from all parties, which means our plans are well advanced.

In August 2018, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines, including those used to treat patients with terminal illnesses, to the United Kingdom that come from or via the EU/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.

The Department has put in place a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption. We are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and medical products will be uninterrupted.

Answered by:
Stephen Hammond (Conservative)
21 March 2019