Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to medical-grade FFP3 facemasks in all occupational settings for frontline health and social care workers.

For workers in the National Health Service, Infection Prevention and Control guidance published on GOV.UK sets out what personal protective equipment (PPE), including FFP3 masks, should be used and on what occasions. The equivalent guidance for workers in social care settings is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-social-care-guidance

In December we established a four-month stockpile of COVID-19 critical PPE, including FFP3s. We are confident that we have secured enough FFP3s for the winter period and that we have the processes and logistics in place to distribute them to where they are required.

As a result of the FFP3 fit-testing project, a further eight types of mask were made available, and we now supply over 12 different models to the NHS, with over 41 million units of FFP3 face masks available for distribution.

The programme currently includes a team of up to 160 fit testers being mobilised for approximately five months and we are in the process of doubling the size of the team.