Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of FFP3 masks available in the social care sector.

In response to calls from a number of local resilience forums (LRFs), we extended our personal protective equipment (PPE) supply route to LRFs to help local government distribute stock to social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

On 28 April, we delivered over 21 million items of PPE across the health and social care system within England. This figure included 1.4 million masks; 3.3 million aprons; 27,000 gowns; and 14.5 million gloves.

Unprecedented efforts are being undertaken to replenish and distribute PPE to all service providers, to ensure demand is met and the right equipment reaches our frontline.