Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
We asked the Department why it had started disposing of PPE before it had made...
Conclusion
We asked the Department why it had started disposing of PPE before it had made a decision on the size of the stockpile to hold for future emergencies. It told us that it will not need or be able to use all of the PPE it currently holds. As an example, it currently holds at least 15 years’ worth of eye protectors which will degrade over time. It is therefore looking at disposal options in parallel with defining the size of stockpile it intends to hold. The Department said that it expects to decide upon a stockpile larger than that previously held but smaller than the stockpile that would have been required for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department estimates there would need to be a pandemic every twelve years to justify the costs of storing and managing a stockpile of the size needed for the COVID-19 response.31
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1: PAC conclusion: Having spent £12bn on PPE, the Department has £4bn of PPE in storage that will not be used in the NHS and now faces the challenges and costs of its disposal. 1a: PAC recommendation: Alongside its Treasury Minute response, the Department should write to us setting out full details on how it plans to dispose of unusable and excess PPE, the volumes and cost (of the PPE disposed of and the related storage and disposal costs) and impacts (environmental or otherwise) this may have. 1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 1.2 In order to reduce the costs associated with storing personal protective equipment (PPE) that will not be used, the Department of Health and Social Care (the department or DHSC) is focusing efforts on accelerating the disposal programme. While the priority remains 18 to keep selling, repurposing and donating the stock, the department will maintain a pragmatic approach to managing stock and develop solutions that make sense economically and environmentally. 1.3 In March 2022, two Lead Waste Providers (LWPs), Suez and Veolia, were appointed to assess the options for disposal. The LWPs have completed assessments on the first set of products and, in May, began work on recovery. During the first month, the LWPs recovered 4,000 pallets, though it is expected that this will have increased to 15,000 pallets per month in the next few months. 1.4 Work to establish detailed operating plans from the pathfinding work is underway and is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks. These plans will provide details, by product, through to the end of December 2022 and will give a clear indication of what rate of recovery can be achieved and by when. Accordingly, the department will write to the Committee over the Summer to set out the detail in full. 1b: PAC recommendation: In addition, we ask that the Department now include an update on the progress of PPE disposal in the quarterly update they already provide the Committee following our Initial lessons from the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic report (Thirteenth report Session 2021–22). 1.5 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: August 2023 1.6 The department will provide the Committee with regular updates on the volume of PPE that has been disposed of and the associated costs and benefits. 1.7 This information will be shared through the existing reporting mechanism established through Treasury Minute 13. The department originally committed to providing these reports to the Committee until August 2022 but will continue to do so until August 2023 to allow the Committee to track progress on the efforts around disposals.