Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing 100-hour pharmacies increased flexibility in their opening hours.

There is currently no legal mechanism for NHS England to agree a reduction to the contractual commitment for the contractors that entered the market under the previous exemption from the market entry rules on the condition that they open for 100 hours a week. A range of evidence of pressures on community pharmacies, including 100-hour pharmacies, has been presented by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). We continue to consult the PSNC on what proportionate action we can take balancing the need for patient access to pharmaceutical services and the ability of businesses to provide those services.