Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Operation Yellowhammer HMG Reasonable Worst Case Planning Assumptions paragraph 6, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) geographically equitable and (b) economically equitable distributions of medicines in limited supply in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Our plans should ensure the supply of medicines and medical products when we leave the EU on 31 October.

The Department, in consultation with the devolved administrations, has been working with trade bodies, product suppliers, and the health and care system in England to make detailed plans that should ensure continuation of the supply of medicines to the whole of the UK and its Crown Dependencies.

On 26 June, we wrote to suppliers of medicines to the UK from or via the EU or European Economic Area setting out our continuing multi-layered approach to support continuity of supply of medicines and medical products from 31 October.

Further details can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/medicines-and-medical-products-supply-government-updates-no-deal-brexit-plans