Oral Answers to Questions

Vicky Foxcroft Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[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.

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

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

--- Later in debate ---

[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.

[Vicky Foxcroft]

I was recently contacted by a constituent with a rare condition. She has stopped producing cortisol and needs to take a synthetic form of it to survive. If she stops taking her medication, she will be dead within 10 days. What does the Secretary of State have to say to my constituent, who is afraid that the Government are gambling with her life?

[Stephen Barclay]

I would say that we should not be scaring people unnecessarily. The Government have put in place a framework to ensure supply. We have also put in place an express freight service, which will give even more capacity on a 24-hour basis and between two to four days for larger pallets. There is additional capacity, and a huge amount of work has been done on storage, but this is an issue of mutual interest for the UK and the Commission, and we are working on it jointly.