Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost is to the public purse of personal protective equipment procured through the high priority lane during the covid-19 outbreak that did not meet NHS standards for use, by contract.

We are unable to provide the information as it is commercially sensitive.

A quality assurance process is in place to determine the efficacy of equipment before it is distributed. Products are only distributed if they meet the relevant standards set out in the technical specification for personal protective equipment. The Department is undertaking a comprehensive review of stock. Where products fail to meet specified standards, the Department seeks resolution with the supplier. For stock that cannot be used for its original intended purpose, work is ongoing to identify whether it can be repurposed or donated.