§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what allocation of chemical protection suits has been made to each ambulance NHS trust; and if he will make a statement. [97788]
§ Mr. LammyOn 14 March 2002 the Department issued a letter outlining the process for purchasing mobile decontamination units and personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for chemical incidents.
The funding allocation made to each region in the financial year 2002–03 is:
£ Eastern 458,000 London 575,000 Northern and Yorkshire 630,000 North West 673,000 South East 968,000 South West 706,000 Trent 407,000 West Midlands 583,000 Regional offices are free to agree with National Health Service trusts the number of decontamination facilities and the amount of associated PPE and any other items that can be obtained from the regional allocation to implement regional strategies.
The number of suits ordered to date by ambulance trusts is as follows:
508W
No. Avon 100 Bedfordshire 100 Cumbria 100 Dorset 100 East Anglian 200 East Midlands 150 Essex 100 Greater Manchester 150 Guernsey 12 Hampshire 150 Hereford and Worcester 50 Kent 150 Lancashire 150 Lincolnshire 100 London 350 Mersey 200 North East 200 Oxfordshire 100 Royal Berks. 100 South Yorkshire 50 Surrey 150 Sussex 100 Tees East & North Yorks. 150 Two Shires 100 West Country 400 West Midlands 105 West Yorkshire 100 Wiltshire 100