Contributions
1,451 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportMy right hon. Friend should be reassured. I have come from a meeting on exactly that: making sure that as the delivery profile of the vaccines increases there is no gap in…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportThe Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation issued advice on priority groups for covid on 2 December. Prioritisation was governed by evidence on the risk of increased…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportFirst, we are not being held back. I think we have injected more people than anywhere in Europe—in fact, not so long ago, it was more than in the whole of Europe put together. We…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportFirst, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s husband, who is doing the other part of the defence task, which is getting on and keeping our country safe at the same time as the rest of…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportYes, all military personnel should be wearing, and be equipped with, PPE in line with the standards put out by the public health authorities. I know the hon. Gentleman’s…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportI absolutely will support any request from the Welsh Government to increase vaccination delivery to people in Wales.12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportYes; vaccine delivery or actually jabbing into people has increased on a daily basis and is consistently increasing towards meeting the Prime Minister’s target of the middle of…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportThe military’s response is a response to help civilian authorities meet requirements. We have made it clear that enforcement is not our job. Our job is to help the police,…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportI can give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. There are plenty of people on all sides of the community who recognise what this is about: a pandemic, and fighting that pandemic.…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportMy right hon. Friend makes a really important point. When I send helicopters to the highlands and islands of Scotland with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine—a British developed…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportThe armed forces are there to help it happen in an area. If the regional NHS requests it or demands it, then of course we will be there to help to set it up, man it or staff it.…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportYes, I can. I visited the north-west region hub at Preston on Thursday and spoke with a number of leaders of the councils, including my hon. Friend’s. We are helping right now.…12 Jan 2021HANSARDDefence Equipment PlanI wish to inform Parliament that the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Defence has written to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee with our 2020 update on the…12 Jan 2021HANSARDNo-cost Supply to Lebanese Armed ForcesThe UK intends to supply a fleet of vehicles at no cost to the Lebanese armed forces (LAF), in recognition of our strong relationship in tackling the shared terrorist threat. At…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportAs I said in reply to an earlier question, we have discussed this with the NHS. We are working on a list right now of who we can prioritise to make sure that we underpin the very…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportMy hon. Friend makes an interesting point. Volunteers need managing, and although St John Ambulance is a disciplined uniform service, the huge member of people being recruited to…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportThe hon. Lady will remember that, at the beginning, we did indeed devolve military assets to CASEVAC patients who were ill to England. Indeed, we had earmarked and agreed a MACA…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportWith permission, I will update the House on Defence support in the national covid response. As hon. Members are aware, I committed to updating Parliament on our efforts, and the…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his questions. First, on the issue of military willingness to engage, he knows we are of course incredibly keen and eager to offer…12 Jan 2021HANSARD Covid-19 Response: Defence SupportMy right hon. Friend is very kind to say what he said about the efforts in Kent. We have 360 personnel supporting Kent County Council with lateral flow testing, and he will have…12 Jan 2021