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 tackle the national blood tube shortage affecting the NHS in England.

We have secured tens of millions of additional blood tubes, including importing additional supplies from the European Union and the United States of America which are now in use and there continues to be stock in place to ensure clinically urgent testing continues. The Department is working closely with NHS England, the devolved administrations and the National Health Service to minimise any impact on patient care and return to a normal service as soon as possible.