Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from which countries of origin the NHS imports personal protective equipment; and what due diligence checks are carried out to ensure the supply chain for those products complies with international law.

The Government is working around the clock to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) and get the vital equipment and protection we need to the frontline. We have set up a cross-Government PPE sourcing unit to secure new supply lines from across the world and published rigorous standards against which we will buy. We have sourced and received medical supplies from a range of countries, including: China, Malaysia, Thailand, US, Canada, Germany, South Africa, and Turkey

Our procurement process abides by strict quality control measures, often including the physical checking of stock and proof that the equipment conforms to stringent safety regulations. In our Supplier Code of Conduct it states that suppliers shall comply with all laws applicable to its business.