Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he take steps to ensure that the public is consulted prior to bringing forward legislative proposals to grant pharmacists the power to amend prescriptions as they see fit in the event of shortages of medicine.

Allowing pharmacists to take local action to amend prescriptions without a Serious Shortage Protocol being in place could potentially risk exacerbating shortages by depleting supplies of any alternative medicine provided. The Government is not currently formally pursuing such a proposal in England.