Thousands and thousands of kilos of taxpayers’ cash has been spent on Covid-related private protecting gear (PPE) that by no means left China.
Ministers signed off orders for 64.4 million surgical facemasks and three.7 million plastic aprons price £26 million in the course of the pandemic.
However now the gadgets, which have been made in China, have been bought in a web based public sale for as little as £500.
Thousands and thousands of kilos of taxpayers’ cash was spent on Covid-related private protecting gear that by no means left China, it has been revealed. Pictured: A affected person is transported out of an ambulance by medics sporting PPE on the Royal London Hospital on January 2, 2021
When auctioned as two tons in late October, the two,597 pallets of PPE have been nonetheless in Shanghai.
They have been by no means shipped as they have been deemed surplus to necessities.
The facemasks would have price taxpayers round 40p every after they have been bought in the course of the pandemic, in accordance the Nationwide Audit Workplace, bringing the price of these simply auctioned to £25.8 million.
The aprons price simply 5p every, so the full price for them was round £184,000.
How a lot they went for within the public sale, organised by UK-based disposals agency Ramco, is unknown.
Nonetheless, every lot had a minimal sale worth of simply £250. The gadgets have been bought as a result of it was costing cash to retailer them in China.
Final yr, the UK spent £23 million storing PPE in China – or round £442,000 every week.
Wes Streeting, Labour’s Shadow Well being Secretary, mentioned as Chancellor, Rishi Sunak despatched ‘eye-watering sums of cash to China’.
He added: ‘The waste continues to be occurring. The Authorities is spending extra on storing PPE in China every week than Manchester United pay for Cristiano Ronaldo’s wages.’
He mentioned Labour would arrange an ‘Workplace for Worth for Cash’ to verify waste.
The lately bought gadgets are only a tiny fraction of the billions spent on PPE gadgets all through the pandemic.
Earlier this yr, officers revealed redundant PPE was being burned at a charge of 580 lorry masses per 30 days. Pictured: Provides on the NHS’ Nationwide Procurement Warehouse at Canderside, Larkhall in 2020
The Division for Well being and Social Care has admitted making losses of £8.7 billion on PPE that was unusable, went previous its sell-by date, or was overpriced.
Earlier this yr, officers revealed redundant PPE was being burned at a charge of 580 lorry masses per 30 days.
A well being division spokesman mentioned: ‘We proceed to promote, donate, repurpose and recycle extra PPE in essentially the most cost-effective approach, in addition to looking for to recuperate prices from suppliers wherever potential to make sure taxpayer worth for cash.
‘We’re additionally exploring progressive options to reprocess extra PPE into supplies or new merchandise which have additional makes use of.’
