Lords Committee to hear evidence on the impact of the Protocol on provision of medicines to Northern Ireland
Tuesday 19 October 2021
As part of its scrutiny of the impact on the Protocol on provision of medicines to Northern Ireland, the House of Lords Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland will hear from witnesses from three pharmaceutical businesses and trade organisations who each submitted written evidence to the Committee’s introductory inquiry.
This evidence session follows on from the publication by the European Commission on 13 Protocol of a set of proposals “to respond to the difficulties that people in Northern Ireland have been experiencing because of Brexit”. This includes a non-paper on Medicines. Meanwhile, in its July Command Paper, the UK Government proposed that medicines should be removed from the Protocol entirely.
The session will take place at 4:00-6:00PM on Wednesday 20 October 2021 in Committee Room 4 and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV.
Giving evidence will be:
- Michelle Riddalls, Chief Executive, PAGB, the consumer healthcare association;
- Martin Sawer, Executive Director, Healthcare Distribution Association;
- Paul Williams, Senior Director Corporate Affairs, Teva UK
Possible questions include:
The current situation
- How would you summarise the cost and operational impact of Brexit and the Protocol on the industry model of medicine supply to Northern Ireland?
- How significant is the scale and risk of product withdrawal from Northern Ireland? Which product lines have been most affected?
- Does the Protocol carry any current or potential beneficial effects from the point of view of medicine provision to Northern Ireland?
Proposed solutions
- What is your overall assessment of the EU’s proposals in its ‘non-paper’ on medicines published on 13 October? Do they go far enough to meet your concerns?
- What is your response to the Government suggestion in its July 2021 Command Paper “to remove all medicines from the scope of the Protocol entirely”?
- Do you see the potential for compromise between the UK and EU positions?
- What practical steps can the UK and EU take to engage with industry stakeholders in the context of the forthcoming negotiations?
