Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the results of the tests carried out on personal protection equipment held in the national pandemic stock that had expired on or before 30 January to ensure that such equipment remained fit for purpose.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in England, we held around 50,000 pallets of medicines and consumables, including personal protective equipment (PPE), to enable us to respond to a United Kingdom pandemic, with the devolved administrations holding their own stockpiles. About 25,000 of those pallets held PPE and hygiene products.

Stocks of facemasks and FFP3 respirators along with other items of PPE are stored in controlled and monitored conditions and this means that stocks are more likely to be fit for use beyond normal expiry dates.

In line with Health and Safety Executive advice, facemasks and FFP3 respirators are independently tested to ascertain whether their shelf life can be extended.