Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pieces of personal protective equipment sourced from (a) the UK and (b) overseas during the covid-19 outbreak have been deemed to be (i) faulty and (ii) otherwise unfit for use.

The safety of health, care of all frontline staff is the paramount consideration. All personal protective equipment (PPE) procured from abroad that arrives at the Daventry warehouse is checked. If it is not CE marked then documents are sent to the United Kingdom regulators, the Health and Safety Executive and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who agree to its release as the Market Surveillance Authorities for PPE and medical devices.

Products are only released into the supply chain if the documents show the product is fit for its intended use. Anytime the Department or the National Health Service are alerted to any potential issues with PPE which has been distributed or is in stock, appropriate action is taken to ensure the immediate safety of frontline health and care staff, and to resolve the issues in question.

All PPE sourced from the UK must undergo essential checks to ensure they meet the safety and quality required and we are offering support and advice to all groups that contact us to ensure their products are safe and effective. These specifications for PPE are published online and can be found on GOV.UK.