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Thursday Volume 664 5 September 2019 No. 340 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 5 September 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 329 5 SEPTEMBER 2019 330 stops taking her medication, she will be dead within House of Commons 10 days. What does the Secretary of State have to say to my constituent, who is afraid that the Government are Thursday 5 September 2019 gambling with her life? Stephen Barclay: I would say that we should not be The House met at half-past Nine o’clock scaring people unnecessarily. The Government have put in place a framework to ensure supply. We have also put in place an express freight service, which will give even PRAYERS more capacity on a 24-hour basis and between two to four days for larger pallets. There is additional capacity, [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] and a huge amount of work has been done on storage, but this is an issue of mutual interest for the UK and the Commission, and we are working on it jointly. Oral Answers to Questions Diana Johnson: Anyone who is facing cancer treatment wants to know that they can get the medicine and the medical devices they need as quickly as possible and with certainty. Dr Buscombe from the British Nuclear EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION Medicine Society says that the system for delivering radioactive isotopes in the event of a no-deal Brexit is The Secretary of State was asked— “fragile”. What does the Secretary of State say to patients who are concerned to hear that? Supply of Medicines: No Deal Stephen Barclay: I was a Health Minister, and as part 1. Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab): What recent of business as usual there are always issues of supply, assessment the Government have made of the effect on usually with around up to 50 lines. We have had it in the the supply of medicines of the UK leaving the EU last few weeks with HRT, which is totally unconnected without a deal. [912274] to Brexit. These are issues that the Department is well used to preparing for. It is in the interest of both sides to 16. Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab): What get this right. Two thirds of Ireland’s medicine comes recent assessment the Government have made of the through the land bridge in Great Britain. This is something effect on the supply of medicines of the UK leaving the that both sides are working to deliver because it is of EU without a deal. [912289] interest to both of us. 17. Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab): Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): I welcome What recent assessment the Government have made of the Government’s preparations to prevent medicine the effect on the supply of medicines of the UK leaving shortages in the event of no deal and the fact that the the EU without a deal. [912290] Secretary of State highlighted the impact this will have on the Republic of Ireland. As he rightly says, two The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union thirds of medicines to the Republic come through and (Stephen Barclay): The Department of Health and Social over UK motorways, so it is in the EU’s interests as well Care has assessed and contacted 448 suppliers of medicine to prevent no deal. and has regular and detailed conversations with the industry. Stephen Barclay: My hon. Friend is right. This is about preparing. It is not about scaring people unnecessarily. Mohammad Yasin: This week, the Nuffield Trust Around 220 lorries impact Ireland. This is of mutual joined 11 union leaders to warn that no deal would interest, and we want to get it right with them. That is disrupt the supply of life-saving medicine and exacerbate why we are working with member states on this. It is not the largest staffing crisis in our NHS’s history. What just about stock and not just about flow; it is also about level of mortality rate is acceptable to the Secretary of flow the other way.A significant number of UK medicines State as the price to pay for this devastating no-deal from firms like AstraZeneca go to Europe, so this is in Brexit? the interests of the EU27 and the UK, which is why considerable work has been done on it. Stephen Barclay: The hon. Gentleman does not reflect the reality of the significant preparation that the industry Exports: No Deal has done over the last three years, and I pay tribute to it for that. For example, one of the leading insulin manufacturers, Novo Nordisk, has 18 weeks’ worth of 2. Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab): supplies, while the Government had asked for six weeks’ What recent assessment the Government have made of worth. The industry has gone above and beyond in its the effect on the transportation of goods of the UK preparation, and a huge amount of work has been leaving the EU without a deal. [912275] done. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Vicky Foxcroft: I was recently contacted by a constituent (Stephen Barclay): The Government have prioritised with a rare condition. She has stopped producing cortisol flow of goods at the border and put in place a range of and needs to take a synthetic form of it to survive. If she easements to support that fluidity. 331 Oral Answers 5 SEPTEMBER 2019 Oral Answers 332 Richard Burden: I do not get any sense from the Stephen Barclay: Wehave a ministerial meeting, chaired Secretary of State that he intends to implement the by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which is decisions of this House in ruling out no deal. What tasked each day with looking at specific issues. My would his response be to Rod McKenzie of the Road focus—as Chair of the Exiting the European Union Haulage Association, who only this week said this of Committee, the right hon. Gentleman will be aware of his experience of Ministers in relation to what he describes this—is on the negotiations, as opposed to every item as the “clear and present” threat of no deal: such as pallets, so I will pick that up with the Chancellor “What we need is action, and we need action now. And there’s of the Duchy of Lancaster. However, considerable work this gap between what they say they’re going to do, and what they has gone on. As I say, this issue applies to the EU—to have so far failed to deliver”? its exports and the flow of goods through Calais—and When will we see delivery from this Government? When it is these very issues that the Chancellor of the Duchy will the Government even meet unions representing of Lancaster was discussing with his counterparts in drivers to discuss their real fears about the impact of a Calais last Friday. no-deal Brexit on drivers’ hours and safety? Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con): The Secretary of Stephen Barclay: Again, the hon. Gentleman is ignoring State quite rightly referred to the EORI numbers, but as the evidence. The Government are acting. He should I understand it, businesses will also have to get a similar look at, for example, the auto-enrolment of EORI— number from the country in the EU27 with which they economic operator registration and identification— trade once we are outside the EU. Are businesses aware numbers. Some 87,955 VAT-registered businesses that of that, or are they just aware of getting the UK one? trade only with the EU have, as part of auto-enrolment, had those numbers sent out. My right hon. Friend the Stephen Barclay: My hon. Friend is right that there Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was in Calais are a number of things businesses need to do. That is meeting his counterpart and discussing these very issues. exactly the purpose behind the public information campaign There are material issues to address, but it does not that we have launched to improve readiness. Contrary progress debate in this House if people ignore the reality to the perception often implied in this House, a huge of the work that the Government are doing. amount of work has been done in government over the last three years and a large amount of work has Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells) (Ind): My right hon. Friend also been done in large companies, including large said last week that the pharmaceutical companies. The area of more concern “car industry’s‘just in time’supply chains rely on fluid cross-Channel has been within the SME community to which he refers, trade routes”, and that is what the public information campaign is and that we targeting. “need to start talks now on how we make sure this flow continues if we leave without a deal.” Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD): Would not the best way of measuring the effect of transportation Some of us have been making this point for some time. of goods on the UK leaving the EU without a deal be to Can my right hon. Friend say: who are these proposed publish the Operation Yellowhammer documents, rather talks with, have they started, when does he expect them than sanitising or shredding them, and allowing Members to finish and will he publish an update on how far they of Parliament to interview the civil servants responsible have got? for writing them? Stephen Barclay: This is the first opportunity I have Stephen Barclay: A huge amount of information has had since my right hon.