Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July to Question 272107, what his Department’s express freight service is planned to deliver; by what form of transport that service will be delivered; over what time period that service will run; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that service to the public purse.

The Express Freight Service is intended to provide access to an end to end solution able to deliver small consignments on a 24 hour basis with additional provision to move larger pallet quantities on a two to four day basis. The initial contract length is one year, extendable by a further one year, with sufficient flexibility to end the contract earlier if required. The total estimated value of services provided to the Department over a two year period of the contract, if exercised, is £3 million. Users of the freight solution would be required to pay for any capacity they use. The bid response period closed on 22 August and the bids are currently being evaluated by the Department.

The Government recognises the vital importance of all medicines and medical products and as such, the Express Freight Service is designed to be capable of transporting all medicines and medical products used within the health and social care system in the United Kingdom.