Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons am 2:30 pm ar 30 Mawrth 2010.
It is certainly the case that we dealt with this issue during the course of last year and we also published the guidance, to which I have referred, in the same period. Furthermore, at the summit we held with stakeholders at the start of this month, a package of proposals was agreed, including a more explicit duty on manufacturers and wholesalers to provide medicine to NHS patients, target inspections by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, tougher standards for licensing medical wholesalers and best practice guidance on how to deal with supply difficulties. We need to consult on some of those issues. Those consultations are already taking place; indeed, there are meetings going on today.