Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with pharmaceutical companies advising the Government on preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Since July 2016, the Department has signed 16 non-disclosure agreements with private companies and 10 with trade associations relating to our medical supply no-deal Brexit contingency planning.

By signing non-disclosure agreements, the Department can talk to the industry in confidence prior to making public statements and issuing advice. This means that when we go out to the whole industry, we can be confident that any requests of them are clear, appropriate and deliverable. For example, we consulted with the pharmaceutical industry prior to issuing advice about stockpiling medicines.