Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive’s plans to ensure that there is sufficient access to sodium hypochlorite to maintain health and safety standards.

Disinfectants based on sodium hypochlorite are widely used to maintain hygiene levels, however health and safety legislation is not prescriptive about how effective levels of disinfection should be achieved. Instead, it gives duty holders the freedom to select the best method of cleaning and disinfection based on their individual circumstances.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not regulate supply chain issues and it is for end users to source adequate supplies of effective disinfectants, whether sodium hypochlorite or alternative products, to achieve appropriate levels of hygiene.