§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the blood transfusion centres which have been issued(a) a wholesale dealers' licence and (b) 1081W a manufacturer's special licence under the Medicines Act 1968, and those which have not been issued with those licences.
§ Mr. SackvilleSince April 1994, the National Blood Authority has held a wholesale dealers licence and a manufacturers licence for the national blood service as a whole.
The wholesale dealers licence currently includes the following centres: Northern, West Yorkshire, East Anglia, Trent, Oxford and Mersey. Wessex, West Midlands and Blood Services South-West (Bristol) have been approved and are yet to be shown on the licence. The remaining transfusion centres do not currently undertake wholesale dealing activities and do not therefore require to be licenced.
In relation to the manufacturers licence; the Medicines Control Agency has identified specific work to be undertaken at the Wessex and West Midlands centres. The NBA has given assurances to the MCA on this and the MCA is content for the processing and testing functions, for which all centres are required to be licenced, to continue at these centres.