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 effect on the health of children under 16 of the national shortage of EpiPen 0.3mg Auto-Injectors; and what plans he has in place to reduce that shortage.

The Department is working very closely with all the manufacturers of adrenaline auto-injectors, the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency, and NHS England and the supply situation is improving. Supplies of EpiPen 0.3mg and the alternative adrenaline auto-injectors are currently available across the country in volumes that are sufficient to meet normal United Kingdom requirements and further deliveries of all three brands of adrenaline auto-injectors are expected in the coming weeks. Comprehensive information and guidance, with input from National Health Service allergy experts has been cascaded to all healthcare professionals, schools, patient groups and frontline NHS services, which provides information about the supply issue, clinical management options and advice to share with patients. We have put this process in place to ensure that those patients with the greatest clinical need have been prioritised to receive new supplies of adrenaline auto-injectors.