Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new domestic suppliers of personal protective equipment have been signed up in the last two months by NHS England and Public Health England.

We have rapidly processed over 24,000 offers of personal protective equipment (PPE) from over 15,000 suppliers to ensure they meet the safety and quality standards that National Health Service staff need, as well as prioritising offers of larger volumes. We've contracted with over 175 new suppliers able to deliver at the scale and pace the United Kingdom requires.

Lord Deighton, formerly Chief Executive of London 2012 Olympics, has lead on our domestic efforts to increase the supply of PPE. The Department has now signed contracts for over three billion items of PPE through UK-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons, ensuring we build and maintain a domestic base for the future.