Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the process by which Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits for Personal Protective Equipment are set in his Department.

The Department is not aware of the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit being referred to.

At the Budget on 11 March 2020 the Chancellor of the Exchequer said, “… whatever extra resources our NHS needs to cope with coronavirus – it will get.”

On 13 April, the Chancellor announced COVID-19 funding of £14.5 billion, of which £6.6 billion related to health services.

To date, the Department has been allocated COVID-19 revenue funding of £3,373 million and capital funding of £40 million in the Main Supply Estimate. Due to the timing of Main Estimates, it was agreed that further budget cover would be provided at Supplementary Estimates. The Government continues to support the National Health Service to access the resources it needs to tackle COVID-19.