Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the likely need to use serious shortage protocols in connection with potential challenges with HRT supply by the end of 2023.

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products, and the vast majority are in good supply. There have been issues with the supply of a limited number of HRT products, primarily due to very sharp increases in demand, but the supply position for most of those HRT products has improved considerably over the last year. Only one of the 23 Serious Shortage Protocols issued since April last year remain. We continue to engage with suppliers to address these issues and improve resilience in the short, medium, and long term. We are holding quarterly roundtables with manufacturers, wholesalers, and community pharmacists to monitor progress and agree what more needs to be done to help ensure supply is sufficient to meet demand.