Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pharmacies his Department expect to close in the next financial year if the pharmacy contract remains unchanged.

Community pharmacies are private businesses, and the Department does not have sight of their individual financial positions. We are now working at pace with Community Pharmacy England to ensure that the funding we have secured for 2024/25 and 2025/26 is used to support community pharmacy in the best way possible. We will announce the outcome of the consultation in the normal manner, by letter to contractors, when the consultation has concluded.