8. Plaid Cymru Debate: Brexit and Future Trade

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:39 pm on 4 December 2019.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 5:39, 4 December 2019

I had thought that this debate would be on Brexit and trade, but I heard the Plaid Cymru spokesperson this afternoon in questions to the Counsel General say it's about NHS privatisation, and I've heard nothing else other than NHS privatisation this afternoon. I'll try and keep off it as much as I can and focus on the issues of trade. Just to plug an issue, the committee produced or is producing a report on international trade agreements. It's imminently to be published, and I urge everyone to read it. I will avoid using too much of it today because it's for your future reference. 

Now, I do welcome the motion this afternoon, and particularly how it reflects upon future international agreements that should be structured following Brexit. I do not disagree with the first two points of the motion and, in fact, I think—Delyth Jewell, in the first half of her contribution, I totally agreed with everything she said; it's the second half I perhaps have some challenges with, particularly the impact—. I don't want to highlight the impact on the NHS in a US-UK trade deal. There's no question about it. No matter what Mark tries to do, or the Conservatives try to do, in denying it, it is likely to be on the table, and the discussion—and we talked about opioids—is one aspect. We all know about medications; I think it's been mentioned by Delyth Jewell—the costs. Let me give you some highlights: insulin, £16.61 in this country, £215 in the US; epipens—and, if you know about epipens, you have to have them; you don't use them necessarily, but you have to have them, and, after a while, they go out of date and you can't use them—£52 in this country, £523 in the US. Now, that's the type of pricing that the US want in the UK by this deregulation and removal of patents. So, it's definitely a threat to the NHS in any trade negotiations. It's real, and it puts our citizens at risk. Let's not hide from that fact, no matter what the Conservatives will try and hide.