Contributions
1,745 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateI was referring to lateral flow tests earlier, but I think the hon. Lady asked me about PCR tests. I will look into what she said.13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateFirst, I very much agree with my right hon. Friend on the importance of never losing sight of potential unintended consequences. He points to an excellent report by the Centre for…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateYes. The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that this is a very fast-moving situation. The NHS made the final decision to go on the expansion—this expansion of the booster programme…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateI thank my hon. Friend for his remarks. He is right that the covid pass is a very important measure. We will shortly publish on the website exactly how it will work, but it is…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateMy hon. Friend is right to talk about the importance of increasing capacity. The pandemic has brought that acutely to the front of our minds. There has been significant investment…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateIt absolutely is. Work on this is being led by Lucy Chappell, in particular, in my Department and the UKHSA. One of the central focuses of her work has been to encourage more…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateFirst, I thank my right hon. Friend for being a vaccinator and for all the work he has done personally to help this country get through the pandemic. Of course there is a…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateWe will debate the SI in the House, and I shall be happy to talk more about it then, but I think that the number to which my hon. Friend referred is the number of people whom the…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateIt is an important fund, and I will look into that.13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateMy understanding is that antibody tests are available for the immunocompromised and the clinically extremely vulnerable if that is what their consultant believes is necessary.13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateI remind the hon. Gentleman that the Government have already announced the biggest catch-up fund for electives that the country has ever seen in order to deal with that…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateOn the right hon. Gentleman’s question about the under-18s, the proof of vaccination for travel is available from today. The individual or the parent can go online and request it,…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateThe booster and vaccination programme is a national programme, but it is locally delivered. My right hon. Friend is right to point to improving local delivery in her area by…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateFirst, I hope that the Wray family will have many more holidays. No one wants this to be their last holiday as a family, but I am pleased that they can go ahead with their plans…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateMy hon. Friend speaks with great experience, and he is right to ask how the training programme for vaccinators, especially volunteer vaccinators, can be streamlined. That work is…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateI congratulate my hon. Friend on getting boosted. She may have heard me say earlier that we will be opening many more walk-in and pop-in centres. I have heard her representation…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this matter. Those who are in care homes or homebound have been prioritised. For example, I can tell him that I believe that, as…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is exactly the purpose of the plans we have set out and the measures we will be debating in the House tomorrow, and also of the action we…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateThis is about having a balanced and proportionate response, and that is the approach that the Government have taken. It is about recognising that while these restrictions help to…13 Dec 2021HANSARD Covid-19 UpdateThe hon. Lady raises an important point. Need is more important than the actual overall numbers. Of course we want to see the numbers increase, but the focus should always be on…13 Dec 2021