Contributions
3,496 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe question is about the timing of the tests. The proposal for care homes is for repeat asymptomatic testing. As I said in my statement, we have sent test kits out to eligible…08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe hon. Gentleman does better when he does not take the Labour party handout notes.08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThat measure is specifically in Bolton, which has brought into place at a council level the guidance that people should not socialise outside their households. We will be turning…08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI am very happy to look at this point. Of course, we do have to verify the identity of people who are asking for home testing kits, and there have to be protections against fraud,…08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIn the short term, we have seen a rise in demand for testing, and the capacity—the supply—has been increasing too. We had some short-term problems with contracts; before the…08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe hon. Gentleman makes an important technical point, which I will take away and look at.08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateIt is so important that we explain to everybody that they have a responsibility for “hands, face and space”—for their social distancing. The two critical messages for younger…08 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Support to Scottish GovernmentThere is absolutely no doubt about the combination of the UK Government putting in place the capacity that we can get only because we are one united nation, working in concert…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Support to Scottish GovernmentThe UK Government are supporting the covid-19 response right across the country. We have established the Joint Biosecurity Centre, ensuring decision makers in Scotland and across…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 TestingOf course, we are constantly working to improve the system, but as the statistics that I read out at the start of this Question Time show, we have made very significant progress…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19 TestingI am very grateful to my hon. Friend for the work he has put in over the summer to make sure that the challenges we have seen in Newcastle-under-Lyme are dealt with as well as…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19If I understand the question correctly, the ability to provide tests to parts of the private sector that need to know people do not have the virus in order to be able to reopen…01 Sept 2020HANSARDPublic Health ProtectionOn 18 August, I announced the establishment of a brand-new organisation to provide a world-leading approach to public health protection and resilience, the National Institute for…01 Sept 2020HANSARDNHS Test and TraceAs I have just explained, the test and trace system at the national level makes the immediate and rapid first attempt at contact. If no contact is made, the local teams can then…01 Sept 2020HANSARDNHS Test and TraceThe answer to the first part of the hon. Lady’s question is that when we are trying to reach scale fast, we use the national system. That then engages with the local system—for…01 Sept 2020HANSARDNHS Test and TraceIf I may correct the hon. Lady, there is no £10 billion contract with any private company. The private companies have been critical in the work to make sure that the whole testing…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19We do enter into those sorts of discussions. Of course local councils have a statutory obligation as well, but what matters most is that the response is as effective as it can be.…01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19The hon. Lady is quite right to raise this issue. It is good to see the figures showing that suicide rates have fallen, but we absolutely must and will remain vigilant.01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19Yes I do, and I put everything I possibly have into driving it as fast as possible, subject to it working effectively.01 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19This is a very important question. Essentially, part of the research into the vaccine is research into its efficacy, which is about research into the immune response that it…01 Sept 2020