Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many projects his Department has put on hold due to the requirements of planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Planning for European Union exit is a crucial part of the Department’s work and has been a priority since the referendum. The Government is committed to ensuring leaving the EU is a success for the health and social care sector, as well as the United Kingdom.

On 18 December 2018, the Cabinet agreed to proceed with the Government’s next phase of no deal planning. Preparing for no deal is now an operational priority for the Government. Accordingly, we are dedicating more departmental resource to planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The Department is working to ensure that it continues to deliver on business as usual priorities alongside increasing EU exit related work, where possible. Departments are continually looking at and reviewing workforce plans, reprioritising and assessing changing needs. We expect our ‘no deal’ plans will not be required, but will prepare responsibly to ensure the smoothest exit in all outcomes.