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Written question asked by Taiwo Owatemi (Labour) on Friday, 5 February 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 9 February 2021. It was answered by Jo Churchill (Conservative) on Monday, 15 February 2021 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Protective Clothing: Standards

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) suitability of personal protective equipment tested to FFP1, 2 and 3 standards.

Answer

All personal protective equipment (PPE) must undergo vigorous checks to ensure they meet the safety and quality required, as per the published technical specification for PPE on GOV.UK. By December 2020, we had established a four-month stockpile of all COVID-19 critical PPE. We are confident that we have secured enough supply for this winter period and that we have the processes and logistics in place to distribute PPE to where it is needed.

The recommendations on what PPE is required in which settings, is set out in the ‘COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control’ (IPC) guidance, which was last updated on 21 January 2021. This guidance does not include the use of FFP1 masks and these are not distributed by the Department. These recommendations are agreed by an expert group of clinicians and scientists from across all four nations of the United Kingdom. They are consistent with World Health Organization guidance, are based on the latest clinical evidence and are kept under constant review.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
149820
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Disease control Protective clothing Standards Testing Coronavirus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk