Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2022 to Question 97125, how many of the (a) 3.4 billion units identified as potential excess stock and (b) 6.96 billion items that have not been provided to frontline services were purchased through the high priority lane; and what the total cost of those purchases was to the public purse.

Excess stock items are not categorised separately, therefore it is not possible to determine the proportion derived from contracts processed through the high priority lane.

A proportion of the items which have not been provided to the frontline may be suitable for use. Quality assurance is ongoing and these items may subsequently be provided to frontline services. Other items are suitable for use in other settings and the Department is pursuing options to re-purpose or dispose of stock.

Of the 6.96 billion items identified on 6 December 2021, the total paid was £3.4 billion. Within this category, 834 million items were purchased through suppliers identified through the high priority lane, at a cost of £1.27 billion.