Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled, The supply, manufacture, importation and distribution of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans specials, published by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in March 2020, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials in the Home Office on ensuring that import licences for cannabis-based products for medicinal use are granted without delay; and if he will make a statement.

The Department continues to work closely with the Home Office and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to maintain the supply of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) to ensure that patients with prescriptions from specialist doctors can access their medicine. The Home Office and the MHRA treat all import requests for CBPMs as emergency supplies, and on receipt of the correct documentation, applicants receive decisions within a few working days.

The Government made changes to import policy in March 2020 to enable pharmaceutical wholesalers to apply to import CBPMs in anticipation of prescriptions, instead of only applying to import the quantity specified on a prescription. We are continuing to work with industry to ensure supply remains uninterrupted during the COVID-19 outbreak.