Replies to Questions about the purchase of personal protective equipment.

Jan 7, 2021 | News

Replies to Questions about the purchase of personal protective equipment. Government says “Seven contracts have been awarded to Purple Surgical by the Department with a value of £226 million.” “Two contracts have been awarded to PPE Medpro by the Department with a total value of £202 million.” “Seven contracts have been awarded to Pestfix by the Department with a total value of £348 million.” But say “Details of such decisions on individual contracts is regarded as commercially sensitive information….”

Why? This is public money of a vast order – over half a billion pounds – and the public and Parliament have a right to know the details

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL10943):

Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which contracts they awarded to Purple Surgical for the provision of personal protection equipment; what was the total value of such contracts; and what value of equipment supplied under such contracts were designated as (1) unfit for use in the NHS, (2) fit for clinical use only, (3) suitable for supply or sale to departments other than the Department of Health and Social Care, (4) suitable for sale or supply to third countries, and (5) required to be destroyed. (HL10943)

Tabled on: 01 December 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

Seven contracts have been awarded to Purple Surgical by the Department with a value of £226 million. Contract Award Notices and the contracts themselves have been published online at the Government’s Contracts Finder service which contain details of the value of each contract and the types of personal protective equipment (PPE) which have been ordered against each contract.

Delivery is progressing for all these PPE items. All items of PPE undergo a rigorous technical assurance process before they can be released for use at which point decisions will be made about which healthcare setting they are suitable for or whether alternative settings need to be considered. Details of such decisions on individual contracts is regarded as commercially sensitive information as the Department may have to negotiate contract variations, which could include a refund or other form or redress against the supplier.

Date and time of answer: 06 Jan 2021 at 12:45.

=======================

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL10942):

Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which contracts they awarded to PPE Medpro for the provision of personal protection equipment; what was the total value of such contracts; and what value of equipment supplied under such contracts were designated as (1) unfit for use in the NHS, (2) fit for clinical use only, (3) suitable for supply or sale to departments other than the Department of Health and Social Care, (4) suitable for sale or supply to third countries, and (5) required to be destroyed. (HL10942)

Tabled on: 01 December 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

Two contracts have been awarded to PPE Medpro by the Department with a total value of £202 million. Contract Award Notices and the contracts themselves have been published online at the Government’s Contracts Finder service which contain details of the value of each contract and the types of personal protective equipment (PPE) which have been ordered against each contract.

Delivery is progressing for all these PPE items. All items of PPE undergo a rigorous technical assurance process before they can be released for use at which point decisions will be made about which healthcare setting they are suitable for or whether alternative settings need to be considered. Details of such decisions on individual contracts is regarded as commercially sensitive information as the Department may have to negotiate contract variations, which could include a refund or other form or redress against the supplier.

Date and time of answer: 06 Jan 2021 at 12:44.

==========================

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL10940):

Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which contracts they awarded to PestFix for the provision of personal protection equipment; what was the total value of such contracts; and what value of equipment supplied under such contracts was designated as (1) unfit for use in the NHS, (2) fit for clinical use only, (3) suitable for supply or sale to departments other than the Department of Health and Social Care, (4) suitable for sale or supply to third countries, and (5) required to be destroyed. (HL10940)

Tabled on: 01 December 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

Seven contracts have been awarded to Pestfix by the Department with a total value of £348 million. Contract Award Notices and the contracts themselves have been published online at the Government’s Contracts Finder service which contain details of the value of each contract and the types of personal protective equipment (PPE) which have been ordered against each contract.

Delivery is progressing for all these PPE items. All items of PPE undergo a rigorous technical assurance process before they can be released for use at which point decisions will be made about which healthcare setting they are suitable for or whether alternative settings need to be considered. Details of such decisions on individual contracts is regarded as commercially sensitive information as the Department may have to negotiate contract variations, which could include a refund or other form or redress against the supplier.

Date and time of answer: 06 Jan 2021 at 12:28.

Lord David Alton

For 18 years David Alton was a Member of the House of Commons and today he is an Independent Crossbench Life Peer in the UK House of Lords.

Social Media

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Site Search

Recent Posts

Share This