The future of the UK-based supply chain for PPE is unclear. The global demand for PPE at the start of the pandemic pushed up the prices from suppliers around the world. In an effort to create a more resilient UK-based supply chain, the Department encouraged some UK manufacturers to repurpose their businesses to supply PPE. It signed 37 contracts under its “UK Make” programme and collectively, these contracts helped deliver 3.9 billion items of PPE. However, now that demand for PPE has reduced...

The future of the UK-based supply chain for PPE is unclear. The global demand for PPE at the start of the pandemic pushed up the prices from suppliers around the world. In an effort to create a more resilient UK-based supply chain, the Department encouraged some UK manufacturers to repurpose their businesses to supply PPE. It signed 37 contracts under its “UK Make” programme and collectively, these contracts helped deliver 3.9 billion items of PPE. However, now that demand for PPE has reduced and with the Department holding a large amount of excess stock, it is unclear what role these suppliers might play going forward. Only seven of them hav Type: conclusion | Number: 6 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 6.2 Over the course of the pandemic, the department has established a resilient UK-based supply chain for all items of COVID-19 critical PPE, excluding gloves. Contracts have