Debates between Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale and Lord McFall of Alcluith during the 2019-2024 Parliament

Covid-19: Personal Protective Equipment

Debate between Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale and Lord McFall of Alcluith
Thursday 23rd April 2020

(4 years, 7 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord McFall of Alcluith Portrait The Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith)
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Lord Hannay of Chiswick. Lord Hannay? We will go on to the noble Baroness, Lady Ramsay of Cartvale.

Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale Portrait Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale (Lab)
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My Lords, I have been puzzled—not for the first time—on the PPE distribution question. The UK has always had a system and structure of deciding on priorities of threats to the security and well-being of the United Kingdom. Pandemics have been on that list and given very high priority for a number of years. If that system is functioning, as it normally does very well, how can we have this problem of production, procurement and distribution of PPE? Is it working as it used to? If not, is that because there has been a lack of resources into it in recent years?