Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of stockpiling of medicines in preparation for (a) a second wave of covid-19 and (b) the end of the transition period, and if he will publish that assessment.

As part of our concerted national efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are doing everything we can to ensure patients continue to have access to COVID-19 medicines in all scenarios. This includes holding stockpiles of a variety of medicines currently and potentially used in treating patients with COVID-19, to help ensure there is uninterrupted supply over the coming months.

As set out in a letter from the Department to industry of 3 August, we are implementing a multi-layered approach to the end of the Transition Period, that involves asking suppliers of medicines and medical products to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union to get trader ready, reroute their supply chains away from any potential disruption and stockpiling to a target level of six weeks on UK soil where this is possible. The letter is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-3-august-2020/letter-to-medicine-suppliers-3-august-2020

Any information on suppliers’ stock levels that has been shared with the Department to support contingency planning is commercially sensitive and cannot be shared with third parties.