Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to stop the illicit (a) manufacturing, (b) importation and (c) sale of (i) counterfeit and (ii) unlicensed weight-loss drugs.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines for human use, medical devices, and blood products for transfusion in the United Kingdom. This includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply, and advertising of medicines which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Many authorised weight loss medicines are prescription-only, meaning that a consultation with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional is needed to assess the patient's suitability for the treatment and to consider any potential risks. Usually, such products should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription.

Sourcing weight loss medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict quality and safety standards and could expose patients to incorrect dosages or dangerous ingredients.

Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA, and its Criminal Enforcement Unit works hard to prevent, detect, and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices, and it takes robust enforcement action where necessary. It works closely with other health regulators, customs authorities, law enforcement agencies, and private sector partners, including e-commerce and the internet industry, to identify, remove, and block online content promoting the illegal sale of medicines and medical devices.

The MHRA seeks to identify and, where appropriate, prosecute online sellers responsible for putting public health at risk. Last year, the MHRA and its partners seized more than 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines, including those usually issued on prescription. A recent example of our enforcement activity is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-smashes-majorillicitweight-loss-medicine-production-facility-in-record-seizure

Additionally, the MHRA has also disrupted thousands of links to websites and social media pages selling medical products to the public illegally.

The MHRA’s FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the UK who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate source. Further information on the FakeMeds campaign is available at the following link:

https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/

Anyone who believes they’ve had a side effect from a medicine, or think they’ve received falsified stock, can report it to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme, with further information available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing national regulations on bus lane fines for volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Decisions on which other vehicles may use bus lanes are for local traffic authorities to take. They are best placed to manage their networks and can grant exemptions through Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) where appropriate. Exemptions can include emergency service vehicles, such as volunteer motorcycle riders delivering emergency medical supplies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing prescriptions for low protein foods with targeted financial support for patients with Phenylketonuria to buy products directly.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is not planning to assess the feasibility of replacing prescriptions for low protein foods with targeted financial support for individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU).

In England, low protein products are available to all eligible patients on prescription and are listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff. The provision of these products on prescription ensures that patients with PKU have direct and reliable access to the foods needed for managing their condition.

Targeted financial support schemes have been shown to introduce additional complexity for patients and the National Health Service.

Patients with PKU may also be eligible for prescription charge exemptions, depending on their circumstances. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with (a) Meta, (b) TikTok and (c) other social media platforms on regulating the (i) promotion and (ii) marketing of (A) unlicensed and (B) counterfeit (1) weight-loss drugs and (2) medicines.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) provides regulatory guidelines through the Blue Guide which apply to the advertising of medicines on social media, and must be observed by any organisation or individual promoting medicines to the public. There are no current plans to meet with individual social media platforms, but the MHRA welcomes any engagement on how to deliver effective messaging to ensure public and patient safety.

Sourcing weight loss medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use. Products purchased in this way may not meet the MHRA’s strict quality and safety standards and could expose patients to incorrect dosages or dangerous ingredients.

Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA, and its Criminal Enforcement Unit works hard to prevent, detect, and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices. This includes regular engagement with social media companies, e-commerce, and the internet industry to identify, remove, and block online content promoting the illegal sale of medicines and medical devices.

The MHRA seeks to identify and, where appropriate, prosecute online sellers responsible for putting public health at risk. Last year, the MHRA and its partners seized more than 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines, including those usually issued on prescription. Additionally, it disrupted thousands of links to websites and social media pages selling medical products to the public illegally.

A recent example of the MHRA’s enforcement activity is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-smashes-majorillicitweight-loss-medicine-production-facility-in-record-seizure.

The MHRA’s FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the UK who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate sources. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 87855, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofcom on price transparency in contracts provided by O2.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Further to my answer of 13 November 2025, and following my letter to Ofcom’s CEO of 31^st October, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is continuing to engage with Ofcom on pricing transparency.

Ofcom publicly shared disappointment with O2’s decision, which went against the spirit of the January 2025 changes. Ofcom also reminded telecom companies of their regulatory responsibilities to maintain fair pricing and transparency. The Secretary of State has asked Ofcom what more can be done to go further, faster to ensure that people are getting a fair deal.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with EP Group on their compliance with agreements made with the Communication Workers Union on reform of the Universal Service Obligation; and whether he has assessed the adequacy of the performance of Royal Mail’s Optimised Delivery Model trials in delivering service improvements.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government engaged with EP Group and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) throughout the process of Royal Mail’s ownership transition. The Deed of Undertaking we agreed with the new owner includes a commitment from EP Group that they will continue to recognise the unions and abide by the future terms of legally binding agreements they make with them.

We will continue to monitor compliance with these undertakings and maintain dialogue with all parties to ensure that agreed protections and principles are upheld.

Royal Mail and the CWU agreed to run pilots in selected offices to design, test and review the operation of the proposed delivery model in response to Ofcom’s USO changes. The government does not have a role in the operational decisions of the business.

Fairtrade tea campaign

Thanking postal workers