§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the likely effect on the availability of drugs on prescription to the public of the dispute between pharmaceutical wholesalers and drug manufacturers.
§ Mr. John PattenI do not anticipate that the withholding of orders on manufacturers by some wholesalers will interrupt supplies to patients. Following 351W the introduction of the new prices from 1 August, or earlier in some cases, distribution will return to normal. Meanwhile, the stocks held by wholesalers and retail chemists should be more than sufficient to meet demand. I have no doubt that in the event of real difficulty a manufacturer would make special arrangements to ensure that a patient did not suffer.