Contributions
3,496 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD CoronavirusYes, Ofsted absolutely will take a lenient view of the impact of coronavirus on what happens in schools. When it comes to the broader point about what households should do when…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusAbsolutely. I want to pass on my condolences to the family and loved ones of all those who have died, including my hon. Friend’s constituent. I know that the hospital, with which…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThere will of course be a big voluntary effort should there be staff shortfalls right across public service. People who volunteer need to be asked to do tasks that fit their…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusI am afraid that is not how we are thinking about it, as that implies a perfect world in which things are available and not in demand around the world. Our approach to…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusAs my right hon. Friend knows, we are inviting and encouraging recent retirees and health care leavers back in, and we will provide for some of that in the Bill. We are also…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusMy hon. Friend is right, and along with the International Development Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is working hard to ensure that through funds from the…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusYes, we are increasing the support available at all ports, including airports and seaports such as Dover, and making sure that better information is available, including in…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusAs I said in my statement, I am delighted that Parliament is staying open. There are, of course, considerations around procedures and how the House operates. It is rightly a…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusYes, absolutely. I can assure my hon. Friend of that. For now, the guidance is to wash your hands and, if you sneeze or cough, to catch it in a tissue and throw the tissue away.11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusWe are not there yet, but we are moving towards it. That is what the chief medical officer set out in the press conference on Monday, in part for exactly the reasons the hon.…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusI have heard some of the noises off. I merely encourage everybody to base their decisions and judgments on science, rather than politics.11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusYes, absolutely; this is really important. We have some supplies of these sorts of things, in the supply chains and, in some cases, within the shops themselves, and we are working…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThat is a great question to which I do not have the answer in my head, but it is a matter of hundreds of thousands in the first instance and thousands in the second.11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThe delivery of social care is a devolved matter. We will publish guidance, and we will work with the devolved authorities to make that as consistent as possible, but social care…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThis is an important consideration. I discuss it regularly with the Education Secretary and the Minister for School Standards. We are keeping the matter under review. Obviously,…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThis is a really important part of our work. We are rolling out personal protective equipment to all primary care settings and GPs by the end of this week—we are on track to do…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThere are different types of social distancing. There is what is essentially case isolation, which is where somebody has symptoms and we are asking them to self-isolate. At the…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusYes, of course. The funding needs for social care, as for the NHS, over the weeks and months to come are not yet clear, so the Chancellor set out an envelope of up to £5 billion…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusThis is a really important point that I met the NHS to discuss specifically today. It is critical that we ensure that discharges are as fast as possible. That is important in…11 Mar 2020HANSARD CoronavirusOn the latter point, I entirely agree, and it goes with the earlier point about communications in foreign languages. On the first point, I will ensure that the Work and Pensions…11 Mar 2020