The UK government has written off £14.9 billion ($18.5 billion) of spending on COVID-19 medical supplies which remain unused, Britain’s public spending watchdog has revealed.
In its report into the accounts of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), published on Jan. 26, the National Audit Office (NAO) said that the UK government’s losses on personal protection equipment (PPE) and other items procured during the COVID-19 pandemic were higher than previously announced.
According to the report, the DHSC estimates that in 2021–2022 there had been a £6 billion reduction in the value of items procured in response to the pandemic.
According to the NAO, the DHSC said the financial reduction in pandemic-procured goods included a £2.5 billion write-down on items originally costing £11.2 billion….