Contributions
1,153 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryWith permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the covid-19 inquiry. Yesterday, Baroness Hallett published her report from the first module of the UK covid-19…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryThe hon. Member is right that groupthink is identified in the report, so it is important for the Government to have access to the widest range of advice, but no part of that, for…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryThe hon. Member is right to praise the role of local government. My experience in Wolverhampton was that the council stepped up and did a fantastic job for local citizens during…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI am grateful to my hon. Friend for her question. She is quite right to point out that the prevalence of a particular health condition can be higher in one part of the community.…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI thank my hon. Friend, who highlights the difficulties people had in not being able to visit relatives and so on. Being joined up across the UK is really important. As I said,…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his mention of the Grenfell inquiry. As I said, it is important to take its findings into account. It is also true that pre-existing…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI thank my hon. Friend for his question. He highlights a very important issue that I spoke about in my opening remarks. It is an important aim of this Government to reduce…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI am very, very grateful to my hon. Friend for reflecting her experience. There is nothing that I can add to the power of her words. She is absolutely right that in planning for…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryScrutiny is always good, and I am sure that what we do will be scrutinised. It is really important to have a proper dialogue with the public about these things, because it does no…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryBaroness Hallett deserves credit for putting the voices of the bereaved up front. If anyone has looked at the actual report, they will find that before we even get into the…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryMy hon. Friend is right that the NHS was in a vulnerable position before the pandemic, which is why the long-term health of the NHS is so important. My right hon. Friend the…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI thank my hon. Friend for his question, and ask that he accepts my condolences on the loss of his auntie during the pandemic. He is absolutely right to draw our attention to the…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryMy hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the important role of local authorities, as other hon. Members have. I hope that I have made it clear in my statement and in my…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryMy hon. Friend is right to highlight the issue of care homes, where it was such a difficult situation throughout the pandemic. We were trying to get the right PPE to the staff. It…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryThe hon. Lady is right to draw attention to the pandemic’s impact on education through lost learning and, as I said in my statement, the great inequality that children suffered as…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryLet me offer my hon. Friend my condolences on the loss of his colleague Frances Mason. He is right to pay tribute to NHS staff. Baroness Hallett has set out a number of failings,…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryMy hon. Friend talked about the legacies and, yes, they are very much still here. In terms of vulnerabilities and exposure, Baroness Hallett also mentioned the different impacts…19 Jul 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryI thank the hon. Member for his comments. He is quite right: this report covers all parts of the United Kingdom, and it makes a real effort to do so. The new Prime Minister also…19 Jul 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsWhen we announce a policy, we ensure that it is properly costed and funded, which I recommend to the Deputy Prime Minister. One other cyber-threat that modern states are facing is…25 Apr 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsMay I begin with a moment of unity? The Deputy Prime Minister and I are both pushing for an early general election as soon as possible. I very much welcome his recognition that…25 Apr 2024