Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of reusable medical equipment that was not returned in each of the last three years.

The return, reuse or recycling of equipment is decided locally between the relevant commissioners and providers of equipment. There is a responsibility on National Health Service trusts to make the best use of all resources and items including recycling and reuse of equipment where it is safe and cost effective to do so.

The Department does not collect data on expenditure on reusable medical equipment and no estimate has been made of these costs.