HC Deb 21 January 1988 vol 125 cc841-2W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the quantities and the monetary value of drugs stockpiled for use in the event of war(a) in the current financial year and (b) cumulatively, in the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Currie

[holding answer 20 January 1988]: The available information is shown in the table. Information is not available on a district basis for the years prior to the 1982 reorganisation of the National Health Service. Comparable information for 1987–88 will not be available until after the end of the financial year.

Mrs. Currie

National Health Service drug stocks are kept at a level commensurate with short-term peacetime needs: there is no stockpile dedicated for use in the event of war.

A working group of officials within the Department is considering stockpile requirements for medical supplies to be used in emergencies. The cost of providing stores of essential items is likely to be high and so may have to be built up over a period of time. Guidance will be issued following completion of the study.