Covid-19: Purchasing Effort

Question

The Secretary of State did not come to the House today, to account for the inexcusable and unacceptable level of waste in his Department. How will he explain to voters that more than a year’s receipts of the national insurance rise are being thrown away?

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How can the Minister justify spending billions on unusable PPE when millions of pounds worth of usable masks and other supplies are being thrown away? Why was there no transparency about these issues at the time?

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Given the significant loss in PPE procurement, how is the government ensuring that future procurements are more cost-effective and efficient? What measures are being taken to prevent similar issues?

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Considering the challenges faced during the pandemic, what steps is the government taking to support healthcare workers who have been impacted by these procurement decisions?

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The Department of Health and Social Care snuck out its annual accounts on the final day on which they were legally required, and buried on page 199 was the revelation that the Department lost a staggering £8.7 billion on PPE... Why did the Department fail to collect shipments from ports on time, costing taxpayers £111 million in additional fees? Why did the Department fail to pay its bills on time and incur late fees of £1.6 million as a result? Is not it the case that when this Conservative Government thought no one was watching, they abandoned any pretence of being careful stewards of public finances?

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Does my right hon. Friend agree that the revaluation of the stock simply reflects global market price fluctuations? Will he confirm that the PPE is being used?

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Yet again, this Government are set rigid on making the working poor pay for their ineptitude and mismanagement. We know that £4.3 billion has been wasted, written off as covid loan fraud... Does the Minister believe that wasting all that money spent on PPE is a sign of good governance? Will he assure the House that his Government will pursue that with complete vigour?

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In reality, back at the beginning of the pandemic, the Opposition were calling for the Government to go faster... Does the excellent Minister agree that, unfortunately, the rhetoric coming from the Opposition now is completely different from what it was at the time of the pandemic?

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Asked about the £9 billion wasted on unused PPE, highlighting alternative uses for such funds, and criticised the government's handling of Exercise Cygnus in 2016.

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Defended the government's efforts in procuring PPE, questioning the opposition's motives for criticising.

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Inquired about £600 million of PPE contracts awarded through a VIP lane to an interior design company, requesting a full investigation.

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Asked the minister about the use of language regarding PPE loss, suggesting it was more an accounting write-down rather than outright loss.

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Asked how the £8.7 billion could have been used differently, particularly for nurses' pay increases.

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Complimented the government's vaccine taskforce efforts and welcomed the approval of Novavax vaccines.

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Asked for government support in backing a Bill to prevent VIP lane contract allocations in future emergencies.

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Asked about the robustness of current supply and distribution chains for PPE and future manufacturing capacity.

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Criticised the government's handling of Exercise Cygnus recommendations and questioned the disproportionate number of contracts awarded to Conservative associates.

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As a chartered accountant, I am aware of the concept of an accounting write down and find the £9.7 billion wasted on PPE during the pandemic shocking. This amount could have been used to address issues such as ambulance waiting times, local accident and emergency pressures, or social care funding deficits in my constituency. What are the Government doing to allocate resources to sufficiently recover that money?

Question

The Minister has said that we were prepared for all eventualities, but in reality, planning was insufficient. Only 97% of the PPE ordered was suitable for use, with 3% not meeting requirements. What safeguards were put in place and will he publish data on suppliers who did not refund taxpayer money?

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Can the Minister confirm whether any of the promised £350 million a week from leaving the EU has been used to purchase PPE for the NHS?

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Will there be a full investigation into the scale and reasons for £8.7 billion losses from PPE procurement? Despite recognising the pressures at the outset, I am concerned about the potential uses of that money.