§ Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what savings will result from his plans to control the parallel importation of drugs into the United Kingdom;
(2) what studies of the effects on investment, employment and the balance of payments were undertaken by his Department before he announced Her Majesty's Government's policy on parallel drug imports.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeMy right hon. Friend's announcement on 5 April in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris), at columns647–48, was concerned solely with plans to ensure the safety of imported medicines. It is very unlikely that any savings to public funds will accrue directly from the exercise of the proposed controls as the present practice of parallel importing does not involve any additional cost to public funds. We consider the effects on investment and employment in the British pharmaceutical industry and on the balance of payments whenever we make any policy changes in this area together with the interests of the taxpayer as customer and the paramount importance of patient safety.