PPE Expenditure

Debate between Lord Whitty and Lord Markham

Wednesday 25th January 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Markham (Con)]

I will write to the noble Baroness with the statistics. I can be clear that the endeavours undertaken to buy the PPE were to make sure that we did not run out. Again, there is quite a bit of hindsight going on in saying, “Ah, we bought too much of it”, when at the time everyone was scrambling to say, “You need to buy more.” That was the result of the situation, and to try to apply hindsight now is quite wrong. They did a pretty good job regarding the amount that they bought; they got 97% of it right, which I think we would agree is a pretty good result.

[Lord Whitty (Lab)]

My Lords, the reference to hindsight is misplaced. The Minister accurately described the shambles and panic that happened at the beginning of the pandemic, but there had been several reports in the 10 years before it that indicated that one measure the Government could take for any pandemic was to have standby contracts whereby there were arrangements with companies to provide PPE and laboratory facilities. That was recommended by, among others, your Lordships’ own Science and Technology Committee. Do such contracts now exist so that, were another virus to hit us, we should not go through the same shambles and corruption that we did on that occasion?

[Lord Markham (Con)]

Absolutely. As ever, we want to learn the lessons. That is why we have set up the Covid inquiry. Yes, supply arrangements are in place. At the same time, as per the answer to the previous question, holding high levels of stock does not make sense. It is cheaper in this case to dispose of it while making sure that the supply lines are in place so that we can rapidly respond to any future event.