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Devolved nations loaning 20 million Covid lateral flow tests to England

09 Aug 2021 2 minute read
Rapid antigen test. Photo by Steve Nomax on Unsplash

Wales and the other devolved nations are loaning 20 million Covid-19 lateral flow tests to England.

Eluned Morgan, the Minister for Health and Social Services, says the Welsh Government will give the UK Government test kits from its own allocations in England’s “hour of need”, following a request for “additional help”.

In a written statement, she said: “Wales along with other Devolved Nations in the UK is to loan 20 million Covid-19 lateral flow tests from our allocations to the UK Government to support the response and demand in England.

“The Welsh Government has worked hard to ensure we have the resources available to support our response to the pandemic in Wales including testing services, vaccines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

“Sometimes this has involved working with other UK nations to provide us with more agility and economies of scale where needed.

“As part of these arrangements Wales has on several occasions during the pandemic provided mutual aid to support the response in the other nations.

‘Mutual aid’ 

She added: “In relation to PPE since the start of April 2020, Wales has issued 13.8 million items of mutual aid to other UK nations and received 1.4 million items on request from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Welsh health services buying power has meant that we have been able to provide £37.5 million of PPE for other UK nations. In return Wales has received around 3.3 million items from the UK Government to replenish stocks.

“The Welsh Government is pleased to be able to support the request for additional help in England’s hour of need.

“Covid-19 also requires a global response and Wales has and will continue to play a part in supporting other nations including England but also further afield.

“This included providing medical supplies, including ventilators, to support the international emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic in India.”


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Dim problem
Dim problem
3 years ago

If we don’t need them, and they do, then what’s the problem? I’d prefer England to get on top of the pandemic, so there’s less risk of it spreading over the border into Wales. If this helps, then great.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
3 years ago
Reply to  Dim problem

I agree, the response to the pandemic requires an international response. But what would be said if the situation was reversed i.e. if Wales was getting stocks from England? The right-wing press and the propagandists at Boris’s Broadcasting Conservatives would have hell of a time denouncing the Welsh government as incompetent and dependent on Westminster etc.

Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
3 years ago
Reply to  Barry Pandy

Spot on

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
3 years ago

I wonder if Boris’s Broadcasting Conservatives will mention this. Probably not, they wouldn’t want any news that undermines the myth of English superiority and Welsh dependence. You can guarantee that Simon Fart and Andrew R2D2 will keep quiet about it as well.

Ieuan Evans
Ieuan Evans
3 years ago
Reply to  Barry Pandy

It wasn’t on the 6 oclock news

Cai Wogan Jones
Cai Wogan Jones
3 years ago

Why should we prioritize England over our other neighbours? Did we check first with Ireland? Or France?

Shan Morgain
3 years ago

The collective name is the Celtic Nations of the UK.

hdavies15
hdavies15
3 years ago

Another example of Wales propping up England. No mention in the MSM of course.

#1Chris
#1Chris
3 years ago

Don’t loan them. Sell them. We need to recover some of the shortfall in funds from broken Tory promises to match lost EU funding.
this is not a government we can trust. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me repeatedly for over 500 years, shame on me.

hdavies15
hdavies15
3 years ago
Reply to  #1Chris

Huh, our lot would go along to Boris and just ask “how much would you like to give us for these ?” Subservience doesn’t work with bullies.

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
3 years ago

It shows the devolved govnerments have tackled Covid-19 far better than centralised Westminster. We can do things better – on our own, bring on independence.

Hancock's Half-Hour
Hancock's Half-Hour
3 years ago

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