Oral Answers to Questions

Mohammad Yasin Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2019 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

1. What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect on the supply of medicines of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

16. What recent assessment the Government have made of the effect on the supply of medicines of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

[The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Stephen Barclay)]

The Department of Health and Social Care has assessed and contacted 448 suppliers of medicine and has regular and detailed conversations with the industry.

[Mohammad Yasin]

This week, the Nuffield Trust joined 11 union leaders to warn that no deal would disrupt the supply of life-saving medicine and exacerbate the largest staffing crisis in our NHS’s history. What level of mortality rate is acceptable to the Secretary of State as the price to pay for this devastating no-deal Brexit?

[Stephen Barclay]

The hon. Gentleman does not reflect the reality of the significant preparation that the industry has done over the last three years, and I pay tribute to it for that. For example, one of the leading insulin manufacturers, Novo Nordisk, has 18 weeks’ worth of supplies, while the Government had asked for six weeks’ worth. The industry has gone above and beyond in its preparation, and a huge amount of work has been done.