Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the sustainability of personal protective equipment supply chains until they are able to resume charging for the supply of PPE to the care sector.

The extension of free personal protective equipment (PPE) until March 2022 provides clarity and certainty for health, social care and public sector workforces and wholesalers and supports planning. It also provides stability of supply while we transition to a longer-term model for PPE.