Contributions
5,553 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Covid-19Yes, indeed, and I want to thank the staff and students in my hon. Friend’s constituency and across the country for the 99.9% of schools that are now back open. The vast majority…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19The whole objective of trying to prevent another boom in coronavirus suffering—a boom in coronavirus patients—is to protect the NHS and allow scheduled surgery of the kind the…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Of course, and that is why we are putting our hopes and confidence in a local, regional approach, rather than a blanket, one-size-fits-all national approach. We hope that those…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19I have to say that I think the hon. Lady is grossly undermining the huge effort of local authorities, which are an integral part of NHS Test and Trace. They are doing a…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19The hon. Gentleman is completely right in what he says about the areas currently in local lockdown measures. We are, of course, giving them extra support to get them through…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Yes, indeed I can. The biggest flu vaccine programme is going ahead as we speak. Thirty million people will be able to have a flu jab this autumn, and I thoroughly advise Members…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will make a statement on our response to the rising number of coronavirus cases and how we must act now to avoid still graver consequences…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19I thank my hon. Friend for what she says. The best thing we can do for retail, which we opened up again in June, is to ensure that we keep it open and that people can keep going…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19I thank the hon. Gentleman for what he says on behalf of the tourism and hospitality industry in his area, which is a fantastic place to visit. I certainly undertake to ensure…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19We will, of course, keep all these measures under review continually. None of them are measures that we want to bring in, but they are measures that we believe are necessary, and…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Every child with symptoms should automatically get a test—that is, everybody with symptoms should get a test. I can tell the hon. Lady that we are massively expanding testing…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19The hon. Lady raises an important point. We have extended loans and grants to every conceivable sector of the economy, including £1.57 billion to the arts sector alone, and we…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Yes, indeed. I thank each and every one of the people involved in NHS Test and Trace. They are doing an outstanding job, in spite of the massive increase in demand, and I am…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19I acknowledge the point that the hon. Gentleman has made, and it is certainly our intention, as we go forward, to do everything we can to protect lives and livelihoods and to put…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19I think everybody in this House wants to see the people of this country and help the people of this country to obey the law of the land and get the virus down. That is the…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19Yes. I thank my hon. Friend for what she does, and I thank the tens of millions of parents, teachers and pupils up and down the country who rose to the occasion at the beginning…22 Sept 2020HANSARD Covid-19What we have done, as the hon. Lady possibly knows already, is target testing and enhance protection for those in frontline groups, many of whom come from black and minority…22 Sept 2020HANSARDEngagementsYes. I am acutely conscious that there are no glib, easy answers in this area of public policy, and I happily undertake that the relevant Minister should meet the hon. Lady as…16 Sept 2020HANSARDEngagementsThe hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise the issue, and I know that Members across the House will share her feelings entirely. I totally agree that birth partners should be able…16 Sept 2020HANSARDEngagementsWe have delivered on, as I say, the most thoroughgoing testing regime anywhere in Europe. We now have capacity; I think capacity has gone up from—sorry, the number of tests per…16 Sept 2020