Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) monitoring of the medicine supply chain and (b) verification of medicines.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The resilience of the United Kingdom’s supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. However, medicine shortages are a complex and global issue and everyone in the supply chain has a role to play in addressing them, as any action will require a collaborative approach.
We proactively monitor of supply and demand where there are particular concerns or threats to supply and as part of the management of live issues.
Potential disruption can also be identified early through targeted monitoring around specific events or risks. For example, growing demand and challenges in forecasting disease rates during winter, combined with broader strains on healthcare, can put extra pressure on already stressed supply chains. For the past two winters, the Department and NHS England set up a winter monitoring group to proactively monitor, analyse, and assess demand trends for a specified subset of medicines most likely to be needed. These medicines were identified by analysing historical demand data, together with known supply constraints and clinical criticality.
While manufacturers are not mandated to put verification barcodes on products, they are able to do so. This can help identify medicines accurately, automate storage and retrieval, verify expiry dates and batch numbers, and ensure the right product reaches the right patient, including automated dispensing or specific checks of the products due to be administered on hospital wards.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of recent divestments made by the life sciences industry on local economies across England, including St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold specific data on the impact of recent divestments on local economies, including in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, specifically.
We know this has been a challenging time for the life sciences sector, with commercial uncertainty and global competition driving recent divestment decisions. To address this, the Government has agreed a landmark trade deal with the United States which makes the United Kingdom the only country in the world to secure a zero percent tariff on pharmaceutical exports to the US, and preferential terms for medical technology exports. The Government is further securing the confidence of the pharmaceutical industry by committing to invest approximately 25% more in innovative, safe, and effective treatments, which will be the first major increase in over two decades.
We will continue to work with industry to deliver our Life Sciences Sector Plan, improve the commercial environment, and bring the benefits of a growing life sciences sector to local economies across the country.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consider child rights in (1) foreign policy, (2) international development policy, and (3) humanitarian policy.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. These principles are embedded across our foreign, development, and humanitarian policies. We work with international partners to deliver better outcomes for children, including through education, health, and nutrition programmes. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and we continue to support global initiatives that strengthen child protection systems and uphold children's rights in all contexts.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of legislation protecting livestock in the UK as compared to other OECD nations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is widely recognised as one of the global leaders in animal health and welfare. We are a member of the World Organisation for Animal Health, and we have a broad legislative base, associated strategies and contingency plans enabling us to protect livestock from animal disease threats. Defra is committed to maintaining and improving the UK's high standards of animal health and welfare.
The Prime Minister has announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy by the end of the year.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of levels of epilepsy medication availability on patient safety.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medicine supply issues are global in their nature and, whilst not wholly preventable, the Department has a range of well-established processes and tools to manage and mitigate risks to patients. The Department has worked hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including asking manufacturers to expedite deliveries, most issues have been resolved.
The Department is currently aware of supply issues affecting some suppliers of clobazam 10 milligram tablets, all strengths of topiramate tablets, clonazepam 2 milligram tablets, and phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets, used in the management of epilepsy.
The supply issue with clonazepam 2mg tablets from one manufacturer is expected to resolve late January 2026. The affected suppliers of topiramate 25 milligram and 50 milligram tablets, and clobazam 10 milligram tablets, are expected to resupply these products by early December 2025. The resupply date from the other affected manufacturers for topiramate 50 milligram, 100 milligram and 200 milligram tablets and phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets is yet to be confirmed. Stock remains available from alternative manufacturers of these products to meet patient demand, and we have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service.
We have issued guidance for the discontinuation of sodium valproate (Epilim Chronosphere) 750 milligram and 1000 milligram modified release (MR) granules sachets. Alternative strengths of sodium valproate MR granules sachets remain available.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to tighten regulations on the transport and storage of nurdles in line with the EU, and what other measures they will take to reduce the environmental and human health threats of nurdles.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently has no plans to align nurdle transport and storage regulations with those of the EU.
The Government has supported industry-led initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep, to promote good practice in pellet loss prevention.
As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention, the UK has led work under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, resulting in an OSPAR Recommendation on minimum standards for pellet loss certification schemes. The UK also supported development of a British Standards Institution Publicly Available Specification, published in July 2021, which sets out measures for businesses to reduce pellet loss and complies with the OSPAR Recommendation.
Pellet loss is a global issue, and the UK has called for specific provisions in the new international treaty on plastic pollution to address pellet loss throughout the supply chain. Additionally, the UK is working at the International Maritime Organization to introduce mandatory measures for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding for programmes supporting women’s and girls’ rights, education, and health is maintained in the current and future aid budgets.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to place women and girls at the heart of our international work, including playing a key role in the global effort to tackle violence against women and girls. We are also continuing to support countries to build resilient and sustainable health systems, and partner with governments to strengthen their own education systems. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29 will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to increase support for women and girls in conflict-affected and climate-vulnerable regions.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to place women and girls at the heart of our international work, including playing a key role in the global effort to tackle violence against women and girls. We are also continuing to support countries to build resilient and sustainable health systems, and partner with governments to strengthen their own education systems. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29 will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of internationally recruited NHS workers were required to retake the International English Language Testing System more than once to meet employment eligibility criteria between 2020 and 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data on repeat International English Language Testing System (IELTS) attempts or average test scores for National Health Service staff. Information on English language competence for professional registration is held by the relevant United Kingdom healthcare regulators. Any assessment data for candidates applying to join the NHS Performers List would be managed by NHS England, while local NHS trusts and employers may hold records of candidate performance where assessments form part of their recruitment process. Additionally, IELTS publishes global test statistics on its website, at the following link:
https://ielts.org/researchers/our-research/test-statistics
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average International English Language Testing System scores were for internationally recruited healthcare professionals entering the NHS via the international recruitment programme in each of the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data on repeat International English Language Testing System (IELTS) attempts or average test scores for National Health Service staff. Information on English language competence for professional registration is held by the relevant United Kingdom healthcare regulators. Any assessment data for candidates applying to join the NHS Performers List would be managed by NHS England, while local NHS trusts and employers may hold records of candidate performance where assessments form part of their recruitment process. Additionally, IELTS publishes global test statistics on its website, at the following link:
https://ielts.org/researchers/our-research/test-statistics