Contributions
3,496 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI have looked into this in great detail, as my hon. Friend will imagine, as she is experienced in these areas. The result of what I have looked at is that there is no trade-off.…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe are seeking to publish further evidence on the impact of measures. For instance, I have often mentioned Leicester and Bolton—in Bolton the curve was flattened, and in Leicester…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIn fact, very shortly the Joint Biosecurity Centre will be making further details of its analysis public. It works within the Department and its officials are civil servants, so…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe are putting in more support and if any area goes into the third level, into tier 3, it gets further support. We are putting more into local test and trace, although on its own…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateAbsolutely. We are making significant progress in this area. My hon. Friend will have seen the announcement by the NHS on Monday that we are expanding the asymptomatic testing of…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateVery sadly, across Lancashire and across Greater Manchester, the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise. The number of cases among the over-60s continues to rise. The…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateNot quite, because even in this statement there have been Members speaking from Greater Manchester who have urged more action. [Interruption.] What I would say to the hon.…15 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateFirst, yes, we want to work more closely with Ealing to make sure we get that national and local link-up in the test and trace system—I can give the hon. Gentleman that assurance.…15 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsMy hon. Friend—and he is an honourable man—makes an important point that has a wider context than just his constituency, which is that we must make sure that we control the virus.…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsYes, I believe that they do, and I will give three reasons why I think these measures are the right ones. The first is that we already now have evidence from accident and…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsOf course, the work on a vaccine continues. No vaccine technology is certain, but we have already bought six different vaccines and there are more than 100 in development around…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsI beg to move, That the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Local Covid-19 Alert Level) (Medium) (England) Regulations 2020, (S.I., 2020, No. 1103), dated 12 October 2020, a copy of…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsWe have seen the exit plan from local lockdowns. For instance, in Leicester, where we had a firm local lockdown, the case rate came right down. We lifted that and we have sadly…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsThe SAGE advice that Ministers receive is, of course, published; we have had great debates in this House about that, and it is published. We make decisions that are guided by the…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsWe have one of the biggest systems of tracking and tracing in the world. The idea that I sometimes get from people in this House is that, somehow, it is not one of the biggest…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsYes, that is a very important point. Taking into account all local considerations, and working with the local director of public health and political leadership, is important to…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsMy friend the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Justin Madders) says from a sedentary position that that was his idea, but success has many fathers, and I can tell my…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsYes. The introduction of the three-level system means that, in some areas where the local area has been working so effectively to get the curve flattened, as in the west midlands,…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsYes, absolutely. We are doing precisely that. The way it works where it works best is that the big national system makes the immediate and rapid contact with people who test…13 Oct 2020HANSARD Public Health: Coronavirus RegulationsYes, absolutely, and I will go further than that: we look at this at sub-district level, if that is appropriate. In High Peak we put four wards into level 2 and the rest of the…13 Oct 2020