Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equipping frontline NHS staff with general service respirators from military and civilian authority stocks during the covid-19 outbreak.
The United Kingdom Government and devolved administrations are committed to ensuring that those on the frontline in responding to COVID-19 are provided with the critical personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to do their job safely.
The UK holds stocks of PPE, including respirators through national stockpiles. We are doing everything we can to increase levels of critical PPE through buying as much available product from existing global markets and working with suppliers to make more products. This includes increasing capacity amongst existing PPE manufacturers wherever possible and working with businesses across the economy to divert their manufacturing capacity to PPE products. A technical assurance process is in place, supported by the Health and Safety Executive, Public Health England, and other regulatory bodies so that new and alternative products are checked for effectiveness and safety.
On 10 April 2020, the plan for a national effort on PPE was published at the following link: