Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of diabetics who have had prescriptions for blood-testing strips withdrawn or restricted.

Prescriptions are a matter for individual clinicians. There are no national restrictions on the prescribing of blood glucose testing strips to patients with diabetes. It is for local commissioners and clinicians to make decisions on how these strips should feature in the provision of diabetes services for their local populations. A variety of brands of blood glucose testing strips are listed in the Drug Tariff for general practitioners to prescribe for their patients as required. We have no plans to issue guidance to general practitioners on this issue.