Coronavirus: PPE contract is a mere 0.3% size of dead Dublin deal... and dates back to 2019... AND isn’t even all PPE

The Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister had sparked confusion when she told the Assembly on March 23 that “just this morning we signed a contract that will see additional PPE brought in”.

Her announcement came at a time when the spotlight was on politicians over the need to better protect medical staff and others due to the worsening coronavirus crisis.

Amid intense questioning about what deal Ms O’Neill was talking about, Conor Murphy – the Sinn Fein finance minister – was called to answer questions from Stormont’s finance committee.

During that appearance he made repeated references to a £170m deal for PPE from China, coming via Dublin – but said that the deal had come to nothing in the end.

At one point, to the apparent bewilderment of the committee chairman Steve Aiken, Mr Murphy declared: “We had, in fact, placed an order. At no stage did I mention anything about signing contracts...

“Sometimes, a misunderstanding arises. In your view, the placing of an order means the signing of a contract. Perhaps, the Deputy First Minister had the same view.”

Then, following this appearance before the committee, Mr Murphy went on to write a letter to Mr Aiken, clarifying exactly what deal Ms O’Neill had been talking about.

He wrote: “Having looked at when the comment was made (the afternoon of March 23) it was not in relation to the Chinese order. The Deputy First Minister was referring to a contract for PPE awarded on March 20 by CPD on behalf of Forensic Science NI.”

CPD refers to the Construction and Procurement Delivery, part of the Department of Finance.

Forensic Science NI is the Carrickfergus-based government forensics lab.

What is more, the deal turns out to have been merely for the sum of £525,000 (or 0.309% the size of the £170m deal Mr Murphy had previously talked about).

It also emerges that the contract had been put out to tender last October – months before coronavirus became a global pandemic threat.

And not all the equipment is even PPE – some of it is listed as simply “outdoor clothing”.

TUV leader Jim Allister, a member of the finance committee, uncovered the specifics of the deal by posing detailed questions to the Department of Justice (which runs the forensics lab).

It revealed that “the procurement was instigated prior to COVID-19 to replace a PPE and consumable contract which was due to expire”.

It also said that the deadline for tenders for this contract was November 21, 2019, and that “no confirmed date for delivery is currently available from the supplier”.

The News Letter asked the Executive Office three specific questions about this saga (and Sinn Fein was copied in):

1) Why did Michelle O’Neill mention this contract during a coronavirus debate when it was unrelated to Covid-19?

2) Does she accept this led to significant confusion about NI’s efforts to obtain PPE?

3) Is it her hope that some of the PPE destined for the forensic science service will yet be repurposed for combatting coronavirus?

At time of writing, no answer had been received.

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