The United Kingdom\u2019s position on medicines regulation remains clear. We want to retain a close working partnership with the European Union to ensure that medicines remain available to UK patients in a safe and timely manner. We have been clear that this involves us making sure our regulators continue to work together, as they do with regulators internationally. As the Prime Minister has said, we intend to to explore with the EU the terms on which the UK could remain part the European Medicines Agency.<\/p>
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Until we can be certain of the outcome of Brexit negotiations our duty as a responsible Government is to prepare for all eventualities, including \u2018no deal\u2019. On 23 August 2018, therefore, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with prescription only or pharmacy medicines from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks\u2019 additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a no-deal scenario.<\/p>
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Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal Brexit.<\/p>
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We understand that the medicine Keppra is important to many people in this country. However, the Department recognises that through its medicines supply contingency programme it is requesting sensitive commercial information from pharmaceutical companies. To reassure participating companies, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department\u2019s programme. That means not introducing information about a company, specific medicine or their supply routes into the public domain.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-22T11:54:10.717Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Levetiracetam"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the availability of Keppra for people with epilepsy.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4648", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Laura Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crewe and Nantwich"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Laura Smith"} ], "uin" : "191984"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007759", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007759/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I received representations on unitarisation in Buckinghamshire from the following local business organisations: Buckinghamshire Business First, Buckinghamshire Business Group, Chiltern Chamber of Commerce, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce; 18 individual local businesses also made representations. Information about grant funding and support provided by local authorities to business organisations is not held centrally. The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publicise specified data on financial transactions including publishing details of all grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4483", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rishi Sunak"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond (Yorks)"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rishi Sunak"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-21T13:51:10.943Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Unitary Councils: Buckinghamshire"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 1 November 2018, Local Government Update, HCWS 1058, from which businesses and organisations in Buckinghamshire he has received representations on local government reorganisation; and what information his Department holds on the amount of grant funding or financial support those businesses and organisations have received from Buckinghamshire County Council in the last three years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/18", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Cheryl Gillan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chesham and Amersham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dame Cheryl Gillan"} ], "uin" : "191992"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007760", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007760/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The existing councils will continue to fulfil their role until the new council is in place. Subject to Parliamentary approval, implementing secondary legislation will provide that planning for and implementing the transition to the new unitary council is to be the responsibility of the shadow authority and shadow executive. This will include members of the five existing councils. This ensures that expertise will be available from across the area for such key issues such as HS2 and the Oxford-Cambridge arc.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4483", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rishi Sunak"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond (Yorks)"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rishi Sunak"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-21T13:50:23.09Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Unitary Councils: Buckinghamshire"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities in Buckinghamshire are able to manage the planning process for the development of High Speed 2 Oxford and Cambridge arc during the transition of those authorities to a single unitary council.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/18", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Cheryl Gillan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chesham and Amersham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dame Cheryl Gillan"} ], "uin" : "191845"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007763", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007763/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Universal Credit, which is replacing six legacy benefits, provides a single earnings taper rate to ensure claimants are better off working and working more. DWP\u2019s recently published Universal Credit Full Service Survey found an increase in earnings for those in work and on Universal Credit by an average of £600 per year. Additionally, our Universal Credit employment impact analysis (published in September 2017) found that people on Universal Credit are four percentage points more likely to have been in work than JSA claimants<\/p>
<\/p>
At Autumn Budget 2018, we recently announced a £1000 increase in work allowances from April 2019, which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.<\/p>
<\/p>
To support the transition to Universal Credit for all self-employed people, the Autumn Budget also announced we will be extending the 12-month grace period (the period before the Minimum Income Floor applies) to all gainfully self-employed people, giving claimants time to grow their businesses.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4014", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Sharma"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Reading West"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alok Sharma"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-23T14:59:20.057Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Unemployment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department is making on its policy to make work pay.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1597", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Simpson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Upper Bann"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "David Simpson"} ], "uin" : "191896"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007764", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1007764/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "