Personal Protective Equipment: Accounting

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)]

My Lords, does my noble friend not recognise that some people have very short memories? If we look back, there was huge demand globally for PPE. The press and the public were screaming for supplies to be provided. People worked round the clock, and of course they ended up paying over the odds in such a situation. Politics is fine, but to try to score points against people who did their best in the interests of public health and who were not bean-counters is really unworthy.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My noble friend makes a very important point. We should completely pay tribute to all those who worked as hard as they could during a time of panic. I remember that the leader of the British Medical Association said:

“This really is a matter of life and death. In what is an incredibly challenging time, doctors and healthcare staff should feel as equipped and supported as they need to be able to deliver care for patients.”


You cannot put a price on that. We had to buy equipment from wherever we could to help make sure that we kept our staff safe.