NHS equipment is subject of MP's first question

Sonia Kumar, the new Labour MP for Dudley, asked what the new government would do to ensure money was not wasted when buying equipment for the NHS.

She told the house how her own experience as an NHS physiotherapist during the Covid-19 pandemic had led to her witnessing how 'crony contracts' resulted in resources being wasted.

"Although those contracts may have been intended to reinforce the NHS during the unprecedented crisis, they did a disservice both to our NHS professionals and to patients," she told the Commons.

"Will the minister outline what tangible steps the Government is taking to avoid such a waste of resources in future and reassure the constituency of Dudley and the wider nation that the Government will take public spending seriously?"

Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office Georgia Gould said the Government was determined to learn from previous mistakes.

"Billions were spent on personal protective equipment that was unusable, overpriced or under-delivered," she said.

"This government is determined to learn those lessons and safeguard every pound of taxpayers’ money."

Miss Gould added that she had met the public sector fraud authority and set out a commitment to driving down fraud across Government.

"We are determined to learn the lessons from the work of the Covid commissioner, who will report to Parliament."

The Covid inquiry is looking into £15 billion of public money was spent on personal protective equipment during the pandemic, amid allegations that this money was spent fraudulently.

This week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the appointment of a Covid Corruption Commissioner who would aim to claw back some of this money.

Mrs Kumar said afterwards: "During my election, I pledged to raise concerns about the NHS if I were to be elected as Dudley's MP.

"From speaking to voters on the doorstep, I know how angry people in Dudley are at the crony contracts handed out during the pandemic.

“We must make sure that this never happens again. Rachel Reeves' pledge to appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner is a great first-step to make sure that we get value for money from our public finances."