Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 9 February (HL2216), why the information mentioned in the Answer on government expenditure is commercially sensitive.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the time of answering, the Department was engaged in commercial negotiations with NHS Supply Chain and their sub-contractors, relating to ongoing storage requirements for the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit. In December 2023, the average per pallet per week cost for equipment in the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit was £5.52.
The Department currently makes payments to NHS Supply Chain in relation to storage of personal protective equipment (PPE). At end of December 2023 there were 492,259 pallets, or 5.1 billion items, of COVID-19 PPE remining in storage. This includes both business as usual and excess stock.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what medical equipment they have donated to Ukraine since 1 January.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine during the year 2023.
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine between 1 January 2024 and 29 February 2024. However, it did donate medical equipment in 2022. The Government continues to actively consider options for making donations of surplus medical equipment to Ukraine, in addition to those made in 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what medical equipment they donated to Ukraine during 2023.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine during the year 2023.
The Department donated no medical equipment to Ukraine between 1 January 2024 and 29 February 2024. However, it did donate medical equipment in 2022. The Government continues to actively consider options for making donations of surplus medical equipment to Ukraine, in addition to those made in 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been transferred to small and medium-sized enterprises by levy-paying businesses using their apprenticeship service account to transfer unused levy funds in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, and (3) 2022–23.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector specific needs.
As announced this week, from April the department are increasing the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses, including those in their local area or supply chain, from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.
Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021, over 550 employers including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes.
The below table shows the number of non-levy paying employers that have received levy transfer funding and the value of that funding. It is extremely encouraging that use of transfers continues to increase year-on-year. The department does not hold transfer data specific to SMEs (currently defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees) but can confirm that most non-levy paying employers are SMEs.
Financial Year | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Number of non-levy employers receiving transfer funding | 2,370 | 3,700 | 5,080 |
Value of funding transferred (£ million) | £13 | £19 | £26 |
To note: Values include new apprenticeship starts and those who started in previous years but are still being funded. If an employer receives a transfer for an apprenticeship which continues across more than one financial year, they will appear in each year’s employer count. Values are actual payments made to date - they do not represent the total committed cost of transfers into future months and years.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many small and medium-sized enterprises have received funds for apprenticeship training as a result of levy-paying businesses using their apprenticeship service account to transfer unused levy funds in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, and (3) 2022–23.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector specific needs.
As announced this week, from April the department are increasing the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses, including those in their local area or supply chain, from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.
Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021, over 550 employers including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes.
The below table shows the number of non-levy paying employers that have received levy transfer funding and the value of that funding. It is extremely encouraging that use of transfers continues to increase year-on-year. The department does not hold transfer data specific to SMEs (currently defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees) but can confirm that most non-levy paying employers are SMEs.
Financial Year | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Number of non-levy employers receiving transfer funding | 2,370 | 3,700 | 5,080 |
Value of funding transferred (£ million) | £13 | £19 | £26 |
To note: Values include new apprenticeship starts and those who started in previous years but are still being funded. If an employer receives a transfer for an apprenticeship which continues across more than one financial year, they will appear in each year’s employer count. Values are actual payments made to date - they do not represent the total committed cost of transfers into future months and years.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how many of each of the categories of equipment contained in that answer (1) are being offered or have been offered for sale in the period up to 31 March, (2) have been destroyed, (3) are scheduled for destruction, and (4) have been donated, or will be donated, to medical charities for use overseas, including but not confined to Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.
Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:
| Holdings at December 2023 | Offered or offering for sale | Have been destroyed | Scheduled for destruction | Donated to medical charities for use overseas |
Enteral feed pumps | 1140 | 1025 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Humidifiers | 4714 | 1456 | 0 | 3258 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic | 53 | 17 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Emergency | 5093 | 1140 | 3159 | 792 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - ICU | 3083 | 3075 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mechanical ventilator - Transport | 949 | 148 | 0 | 789 | 0 |
Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP) | 3339 | 3085 | 0 | 252 | 0 |
NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) | 6682 | 0 | 702 | 5980 | 0 |
NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) | 187 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oxygen concentrators | 2874 | 2861 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Oxygen regulators | 1564 | 1461 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Patient monitors | 2439 | 2353 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Suction pumps | 307 | 289 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Syringe drivers | 21319 | 8000 | 9318 | 3976 | 0 |
Volumetric pumps | 1588 | 1563 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes: