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HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I will now repeat a Statement made in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Health. The Statement is as follows: “Mr Speaker,…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI reassure the noble Lord that, as with the response to HIV some years ago, we will not allow any lacuna or gaps in the regulatory arrangements or any delays of the regulatory…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy noble friend is entirely right; it is a point well understood in Government. But he does slightly answer his own question, because our priority at this stage is to ensure that…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIn defence of both the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer, I pay tribute in particular to the Chief Medical Officer and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser for the…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe Bill will arrive on Thursday and the plan will be published then. In terms of those who wish to attend the House, all I can do is share the advice of the CMO, which is very…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Baroness makes an important point. I have received numerous, moving and important communications from those who own, run or support pubs, clubs, theatres and venues in…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord has hit upon an essential conundrum of the testing framework. I am not the expert who can give chapter and verse, but my layman’s understanding is that the…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord, Lord Scriven, asks all the right questions. The honest answer is that it is a changing situation. The information that I had on this a week ago has changed even to…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateOn the provisions for those on zero-hours contracts, that is an area that is particularly knotty and difficult. It is absolutely the focus of the current negotiations on statutory…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe situation is fluid. The CMO spoke about this in detail at the press conference. He is not speculating or giving an exact date, because the modelling is not as clear as one…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Baroness is entirely right to be concerned about the holistic challenge we face. We are working hard in different areas to answer each one of those issues as they come…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Baroness is entirely right. As a trustee of Sadler’s Wells, I understand completely the implications of what she is saying, her point about insurance, and the confusion…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe Government are under no illusions about the size of the challenge. The package announced in the Budget was an initial commitment. Whatever funds are needed will be made…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes, it would.16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe noble Lord is entirely right to ask about this. I am pleased to say that, thanks in part to the advocacy by the deaf community, a signing translator was provided for the…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateOn prisons, which are clearly an area of grave concern, I reassure the Chamber that guidelines were published earlier today for the management of prison populations and the…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateOccupancy rates are changing all the time as we cascade patients from one class of bed to another in order to make room and prioritise those who are hit by the virus. We are doing…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy noble friend is entirely right to ask about the exact guidance. I will be clear: everyone in the country is being asked to cut out non-essential social intercourse and to work…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy noble friend Lord Barwell is entirely right. The question of deliveries is an acute concern. There are intense conversations going on on a daily basis between Defra and the…16 Mar 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateAs the noble Baroness will be aware, this is a fast-changing situation. I cannot come to this House, in all honesty, and give an account for every single element of the strategy…16 Mar 2020