Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the New High-Volume Manufacturers of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment guide applies to voluntary manufacturers of masks, face shields and face coverings.

The Government has published two new guides to support businesses in how they can supply safe PPE, one focussed on large manufacturers and another for small producers. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has provided advice to over 300 business and is working directly with a number of small voluntary groups to assist them in understanding and meeting the requirements, including the need for third party assessment. It is also working with larger producers to see whether their approved designs could be used by small producers and community groups.

There is also separate guidance for manufacturers and makers of face coverings, not intended as Personal Protective Equipment but for general use by members of the public. All three guides can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/opss-coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-business-and-local-authorities.