Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse has been of procuring personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak; how many items of each type of equipment has been procured; and what proportion of that equipment has been sourced (a) in the UK and (b) from overseas.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
To date contracts worth approximately £9 billion have been awarded for personal protective equipment (PPE). The value is based on purchase orders raised which still have to be validated.
Internationally, orders for over 30.8 billion items of PPE have been raised, including 7,444 ventilators, 557 million gowns; over 8.1 billion masks; 1.4 billion items of face protection; 13.7 billion gloves and 6.9 billion aprons (purchase order stats as of 10 July), with thanks to joint working across the Department for International Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Health and Social Care and Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, published in 2015, when planning related to SARS was last reviewed.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government undertakes regular reviews of its assessment of, and preparedness for, the risks that the United Kingdom and its citizens could face, including natural hazard threats such as emerging infectious diseases, pandemic influenza and other high-consequence infectious diseases.
The National Risk Register outlines what is being done about key risks and how the public can prepare themselves. The National Risk Register is being reviewed in light of COVID-19 and will be published when this has been completed.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed its contingency plans for dealing with (a) coronaviruses, (b) emerging infectious diseases and (c) acute respiratory syndromes.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government undertakes regular reviews of its assessment of, and preparedness for, the risks that the United Kingdom and its citizens could face, including natural hazard threats such as emerging infectious diseases, pandemic influenza and other high-consequence infectious diseases.
The National Risk Register outlines what is being done about key risks and how the public can prepare themselves. The National Risk Register is being reviewed in light of COVID-19 and will be published when this has been completed.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed its contingency plans for dealing with (a) coronaviruses, (b) emerging infectious diseases and (c) acute respiratory syndromes.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government undertakes regular reviews of its assessment of, and preparedness for, the risks that the United Kingdom and its citizens could face, including natural hazard threats such as emerging infectious diseases, pandemic influenza and other high-consequence infectious diseases.
The National Risk Register outlines what is being done about key risks and how the public can prepare themselves. The National Risk Register is being reviewed in light of COVID-19 and will be published when this has been completed.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many bids to supply personal protective equipment were received during the procurement process that resulted in the award of contracts to (a) Pest Fix and (b) Crisp Websites Ltd; whether the total value of contract with those companies was paid as a lump sum; and how many items of personal protective equipment have been (i) sourced and (ii) delivered under contracts with those companies.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The award of this contract to PestFix (which is a trading name of Crisp Websites Limited) is the subject of a Judicial Review which has been brought against the Department. The Department is taking legal advice and considering its response. In these circumstances it would be inappropriate to respond to the issues and points raised in this question as this might prejudice the Department’s legal position.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the full contracts awarded to (a) Pest Fix and (b) Crisp Websites Ltd for the supply of personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak were not published within 20 days; and what plans he has to publish those contracts.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The award of this contract to PestFix (which is a trading name of Crisp Websites Limited) is the subject of a Judicial Review which has been brought against the Department. The Department is taking legal advice and considering its response. In these circumstances it would be inappropriate to respond to the issues and points raised in this question as this might prejudice the Department’s legal position.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) quantity and (b) types of personal protective equipment the Government has procured from the 3M factory in Darlington.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold that information as our contracts with existing manufacturers, such as 3M, do not normally specify in which factory they are made. Lord Deighton is leading efforts to increase the domestic supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). Contracts have been signed for over 2 billion items of PPE through United Kingdom-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the required (a) design and (b) materials necessary to provide effective protection for the general public in the event that the Government requires the general public to wear non-medical face masks or coverings during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies considered the very limited evidence available on the use of face coverings and advised that there was some positive benefit for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. However, the main ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are social distancing and washing hands regularly.
The Government is now advising wearing a face covering in situations where it is difficult to manage social distancing and there may be close contact with people the wearer would not usually meet.
Instructions on how to make and use a face covering are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering
Further guidance on the use of face coverings is available at the following link:
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned research on the covid-19 pandemic which uses behavioural psychology modelling; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government intends to publish the evidence being used by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
The COVID-19 Public Information Campaign has been developed with a blended team of specialist marketing and behavioural science experts together with advice from academic experts in Psychological Medicine. The Protection Motivation Theory has shaped thinking and the campaign has been robustly developed and tested with input and advice from the Behaviour Insights Team.