Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: PPE Procurement

Tuesday 6 December 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial assessment indicates procurement of personal protective equipment prioritized saving lives over value for money.
  • A full investigation into the Government's handling of the pandemic, including PPE procurement, has been commissioned.
  • The Secretary of State highlighted securing 23.2 billion items of PPE as a significant achievement.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Allan Dorans
NHS
Context

The MP questioned the adequacy of steps taken by his Department to secure value for money in procuring PPE during the pandemic.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of the steps taken by his Department to secure value for money in procuring personal protective equipment during the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from Steve Barclay

We procured personal protective equipment at pace so that we could protect the frontline and save lives. In a highly distorted market, we worked around the clock to secure the life-saving PPE that we needed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer does not provide an assessment of value for money or specific steps taken.

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Q2 Allan Dorans
NHS
Context

The MP questioned the need for a full investigation into PPE procurement, especially regarding Baroness Mone's connection with Government Ministers.

Question

Will he assure me—and more importantly the public—that a full and thorough investigation will take place into these matters and that, following that investigation, the report will be made public?

Answer from Steve Barclay

We have commissioned a full investigation and inquiry into the Government's handling of covid and, as part of that, I am sure that the inquiry will look at PPE. But it is important to put it into context. We secured 23.2 billion items of PPE.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer avoids direct assurance of public disclosure and focuses on the total number of PPE items procured.

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Q3 Steven Bonnar
NHS Standards & Ethics
Context

The MP questioned the regulation against cronyism and committed to scrapping the UK Government's VIP lane for healthcare contracts.

Question

How will the Secretary of State better regulate the cronyism of his colleagues? Will he commit now to scrapping the UK Government's VIP lane for healthcare contracts?

Answer from Steve Barclay

Again, that ignores both the pressure of time at the start of the pandemic and the fact that there was international competition, with companies competing for scarce resources. It is also the case that although more than 19,000 companies were offering PPE, only 2,600 passed initial due diligence checks.

Not addressed: The answer avoids addressing the specific ask of regulation against cronyism and commitment to scrap VIP lane.

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