Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of people purchasing medicines from overseas online pharmacies on patient safety.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In August 2025, the Department launched a United Kingdom-wide Call for Evidence (CfE) considering whether the existing regulation and monitoring of private, non-National Health Service prescribing remains fit for purpose, and to ensure that patients can continue to safely access high-quality medicines through all legal routes in the UK. Further information on the CfE is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/private-non-nhs-prescribing/private-non-nhs-prescribing-call-for-evidence-document#annex-b-regulators

The Department sought views on how it could continue to ensure that the medicines people need are available conveniently and promptly, whilst maintaining the UK's high standards of medicine regulation, prescribing, and use. The CfE gave the public, healthcare professionals and providers, and other interested parties the opportunity to share their views on private prescribing, including prescribing from European Economic Area based practitioners.

The CfE ran from 12 August to 4 November 2025. A total of 458 responses were received: 68 on behalf of an organisation; 168 as a healthcare professional responding in a personal capacity; and 222 from members of the public. The types of organisations who responded to the CfE included pharmaceutical companies, professional bodies and regulators, pharmacy organisations, advocacy groups, and healthcare providers. Healthcare professionals who responded were largely from pharmacy, general practice, and nursing.

Officials are analysing results to inform next steps. A Government response will be published in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the advisory status of Highway Code Rule 59 as it relates to the wearing of (a) helmets and (b) high visibility clothing by cyclists.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

There are no plans to make it a requirement for cyclists to wear a helmet or high visibility clothing when cycling.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is taking to regulate the practice of overseas online prescribers supplying medicines to UK residents.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency provides on purchasing prescription-only medicines from overseas online providers for personal use.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) enforces the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 but it does not hold responsibility for regulating the prescribing or retail supply of medicines, which sits across various sector and professional regulators. Regulators have the powers to take action against any services putting patients in danger.

The regulations establish that a person may not, except in accordance with a licence, manufacture, assemble or import a medicinal product or possess a medicinal product for the purposes of manufacturing, assembling or importing a medicinal product. However, this does not apply to a person who imports a medicinal product for administration to themselves or to any other person who is a member of that person’s household. This is commonly referred to as “personal imports” and applies to any medicinal product. This activity is thus not regulated by the MHRA and as a result no specific guidance has been issued by the agency.

In order to sell medicines in the European Union, EU-based online sellers must register, comply with relevant requirements and display an EU common logo linked to the competent authority of the country in which they are based. From 1 January 2021, Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) based online sellers are no longer required to display the EU common logo (in the UK known as the Distance selling Logo).

Because of the Northern Ireland Protocol, anyone in Northern Ireland selling medicines to the public via a website must still comply with the requirement to apply the EU common logo. This means they must be registered with the MHRA and display a Distance Selling Logo on every page of the website offering medicines for sale. For Great Britain, the MHRA will be considering an alternative to the use of the Distance Selling Logo in the future. The MHRA is no longer processing new applications for the Distance Selling Logo in Great Britain.

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations