AQW 26189/17-22

Mr Alex Easton
Independent
North Down

Tabled Date: 23/11/2021
Answered On Date: 02/12/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether there have been any further delays experienced in medicines coming into Northern Ireland as a result of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Answer:

Since 1st January 2021, the majority of the medicine supply issues encountered relating to the NI Protocol have been associated with poor trader readiness and business decisions. Departmental officials continue to work through the issues as they arise on a case by case basis and are engaging directly with the companies concerned, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Trader Support Service (TSS) where required.

The full impact of the Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol on medicines’ supplies has been mitigated by the grace period which the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the European Union (EU) Commission agreed to allow the pharmaceutical industry twelve months from 1st January 2021 to comply with new regulatory requirements which apply only to NI and are a consequence of the NI Protocol.

To give certainty and stability to the industry while UK-EU discussions proceed, the UK Government announced on 6th September that it will maintain “standstill” arrangements, under which it will continue to operate the NI Protocol on its current basis, including grace periods currently in force. The UK Government has stated that they will ensure that reasonable notice is provided in the event that any of these arrangements are to change.

My Department, the DHSC and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continue to work with the pharmaceutical industry to put in place measures to ensure the continued supply of medicines into NI.