Contributions
1,127 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateAcross the House, we pay tribute to all staff in the health service, from doctors and nurses to cleaners and security, who have done so much over the last few months. I cannot…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI entirely agree with the noble Baroness. We are working very closely with local authorities, and they do indeed have significant resources and powers to do local contact tracing.…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateAs we have made clear, the furlough scheme is a UK-wide scheme, and, as the Prime Minister said, we will always be there for all parts of the UK.03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes, they have.03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord is absolutely right. Concerns about pressure on the NHS were one of the key drivers behind the decision made as well as the fact that, unfortunately, we are seeing…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateOf course we recognise that religious practice is of fundamental importance to millions of people across the country. That is why we are enabling individual prayer in places of…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI thank my noble friend. I hope that I mentioned, in my response to the noble Lord, Lord Newby—and I should stress this—that I believe the Chief Medical Officer and Chief…03 Nov 2020HANSARDBusiness of the HouseThat Standing Order 72 ( Affirmative Instruments ) be dispensed with on Wednesday 4 November to enable a motion to approve an affirmative instrument laid before the House under…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord is absolutely right, and this is perhaps one of the most—of so many—heartbreaking situations within this pandemic. He will know that regular testing is now…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateEveryone living and working in Liverpool will now be offered a Covid test, whether they have symptoms or not. Testing will begin this week and, as I mentioned in a previous…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy noble friend is right: we want to be transparent with data and information. Obviously, scientific data and information informing our actions are published on GOV.UK, as are…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe have secured early access to 350 million vaccine doses through agreements with six separate vaccine developers, and are investing more than £140 million to make sure that we…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateAs I have said, we have put in place a comprehensive economic package but the noble Baroness is right that some people have not benefited from certain schemes. The Treasury and…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateBoth the pots of money the noble Baroness mentions are under the control of local authorities, and it is entirely up to them to decide which sectors or types of business to…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes. Part of the reason behind that is that the number of younger people testing positive is falling, particularly among the university student population. Universities should…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI am not sure I heard everything the noble Lord said, so I will go back and check. I think he was talking about the economy, but if I have got that wrong, I apologise. We have put…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateUnfortunately, as we have seen in the UK and other populations, a high infection rate among the young population is almost always followed by delayed infection rates in the older…14 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI can say to the noble Baroness that, in total, one in eight people in England have now been tested at least once. The average distance travelled for in-person tests is now 3.7…14 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI agree that we all want to work together to fight this terrible disease. Your Lordships’ House provides a very good model for how constructive discussions can happen. On my noble…14 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI am happy to acknowledge that there are differing views on how to approach this issue. In fact, today’s discussion has shown that. I believe that everyone is taking their…14 Oct 2020