Chair asks for clarity on Brexit transition period
16 February 2018
The Chair of the Health Committee has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to stress the urgent need for clarity on the transitional period after Brexit.
- Letter to the Secretary of State regarding Brexit transitional arrangements, 15 February 2018
- Inquiry: Brexit – medicines, medical devices and substances of human origin
- Health Committee
In the letter to the Secretary of State Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, the Chair stresses the need for clarity on details of a transitional period after UK Exit day, and on Government contingency planning to protect patients, NHS services and the UK's life science industry.
Businesses and healthcare services need certainty on the transition arrangements as soon as possible
Patient care, both in the UK and Europe, is at risk of being compromised in the event of a disorderly Brexit. With only 13 months until the UK exits the European Union on 29 March 2019, healthcare services and businesses, including those manufacturing and distributing medicines, remain in the dark.
Businesses and healthcare services must not be forced to transition twice
It would be unwelcome for life science businesses and the NHS to transition twice. The UK Government should seek to agree an implementation period wherein the current regulatory status quo is maintained.
Public scrutiny of contingency planning will strengthen the Government's position and manage risks to patient care
Clarity about contingency planning to guarantee patient safety and continued health supplies will strengthen the UK's negotiating position by demonstrating that we have a credible fall-back position.
Further information
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