Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new suppliers of personal protective equipment based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas have been added to the NHS lists in the last two months.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government effort to expand supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) from overseas and improve domestic manufacturing capability.

We are working with over 175 new suppliers to deliver PPE at the scale and pace the United Kingdom requires. This includes signed contracts for over 2 billion items of PPE through 31 UK-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons, ensuring we build and maintain a domestic base for the future.

Almost 28 billion items of PPE have been ordered overall from UK-based manufacturers and international partners to provide a continuous supply in the coming months.