Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of liquid penicillin to treat babies with Strep A.

Supplies of antibiotics as oral suspensions are available, however there has been a particularly sharp increase in demand in the past week which has meant that some pharmacies are having difficulties obtaining certain antibiotics.

The Department is working urgently with manufacturers and wholesalers to explore what can be done to expedite deliveries and bring forward stock they have to help ensure it gets to where it is needed, to meet demand as quickly as possible and support access to these vital medicines.