Contributions
3,496 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHealth and Social CareWhat I would say to the people of Bolton is that they have again risen to this challenge. The number of vaccinations happening in Bolton right now is phenomenal—tens of thousands…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThere is quite a lot that needs sorting in that. The first thing I would say is that the hon. Lady complains that I acted on Portugal when we saw the data, yet she complains that…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThat is an excellent question astutely put. The purpose of the road map, and the purpose of following the data within the road map and therefore having not-before dates, is that…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes, of course, as part of step 3, those activities were reopened for school-based groups. I absolutely take the point that my hon. Friend is making. That is of course part of…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThis incredibly important subject is close to my heart too, and perhaps we can work with the hon. Gentleman, with his personal experience of long covid over such a period, to…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIt is true that a number of balanced cases are put before Ministers, and we always look at the pros and cons of each one. Ultimately, those decisions are for Ministers.07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe are working on exactly that question. Of course, there is the question in advance of that of the vaccination of 12 to 18-year-olds, on which we are taking advice from the JCVI.…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI pay tribute to the team at Harrow, and especially for the testing expansion. My hon. Friend said that there were 13,000 pupils and 12,000 of their relatives, and that includes…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating all those involved in the vaccine roll-out, everywhere in the UK. In Scotland, it has been a remarkable effort, with the UK Government…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdatePart of the purpose of the international testing regime is to get genetic sequences to spot variants, which we cannot do from a lateral flow test. That is the literal answer to my…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe are explicit about that. I appreciate what the hon. Lady said about the importance of data and data saving lives, and I agree with her about the importance of trust and…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe way the hon. Lady characterises this policy proposal is not accurate. People listening to this debate should be reassured that the privacy and security of their data are…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI cannot say any more than I have already said. We take a cautious approach to travel because of the risk of new variants, which could undermine the whole thing. We have a…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe right hon. Lady and I have had this exchange before. I respect her enormously, but she continues to imply that we should have taken decisions based on data that we did not yet…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe are doing work in this area and talking to all the relevant bodies. Aside from some who have not yet understood the full importance of high-quality usage of data in the health…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI am delighted by that question, because the data that I put in my statement was right off the press—it is new data. I am absolutely happy to look at how it is published and on…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right about the figure for transmissibility reduction from the first dose. The figures for the reduction in serious disease and death are, as he…07 Jun 2021HANSARDHealth and Social CareWhat I would say to the people of Bolton is that they have again risen to this challenge. The number of vaccinations happening in Bolton right now is phenomenal—tens of thousands…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe will look at that evidence and make that judgment. Of course I want to proceed, but we must proceed safely and not see this go backwards. When the Prime Minister set out the…07 Jun 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes, I agree with my hon. Friend. He puts it well. This so-called glossary appeared on the NHS website. I have raised it with the NHS and it has been taken down.07 Jun 2021