Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many British manufacturers (a) approached the National PPE Sourcing team and (b) were awarded contracts to supply personal protective equipment to the NHS.

We have rapidly processed over 24,000 offers of personal protective equipment (PPE) from over 15,000 suppliers who approached the National PPE Sourcing team, to ensure they meet the safety and quality standards that National Health Service staff need, as well as prioritising offers of larger volumes.

The company ownership and nature of business for each supplier cannot be readily identified from the available data held by the Department, therefore whether suppliers are British manufacturers is not verifiable.

We have contracted with over 175 new suppliers to deliver PPE at the scale and pace the United Kingdom requires. This includes signed contracts with 27 UK-based manufacturers for facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons, ensuring we build and maintain a domestic base for the future.