HL Deb 26 October 1977 vol 386 cc1231-2WA
Baroness HORNSBY-SMITH

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of garments and household textiles purchased for the NHS are of foreign nature.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

This information could only be obtained from Health Authorities with difficulty and disproportionate staff effort. However, of the approximate £40 million of textiles purchased by the NHS in England annually it is estimated that the purchases of material produced in whole or in part outside of the United Kingdom is unlikely to be more than £300,000 and is confined to the purchase of sheets and sheeting.