Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendation of 7 February 2020 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, if he will convene a working group with industry, regulatory agencies and professional bodies to tackle the HRT shortages.

We are in regular discussions with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supply issues and are currently reviewing their proposal to convene a working group with industry, regulatory agencies and professional bodies to tackle this supply issue.

We continue to work with the Royal College as well as a number of other stakeholders including the National Health Service, the pharmaceutical industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the British Menopausal Society and the Facility of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare to resolve HRT supply issues as quickly as possible. The overall supply situation will start to improve from the end of February 2020.