Contributions
1,745 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of giving patients the choice. Some patients actually prefer not to have a face-to-face appointment. They may be at work and they…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI was not sure from my hon. Friend’s question whether she was referring only to her own area or more generally in terms of local restrictions. In terms of the plans I announced…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy right hon. Friend is right about the importance of vaccines. On any potential triggers, I have not yet today mentioned the importance of being on guard against future variants,…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI very much agree with my hon. Friend. That is one reason why we are constantly publishing more and more information on the impact and effectiveness of vaccines, including the…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy hon. Friend is right to make that point—indeed, people in my family had that very issue. I know that the Minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment is looking at that matter, and I…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI would say two things to the right hon. Gentleman. First, it is important that we have a system of surveillance, especially for variants across the world. There are different…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateOf course no one should be left behind, wherever they are in the UK. The differential take-up of the vaccine can be based on a number of factors—for example, there is definitely a…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWhen it came to the pay rise to which the hon. Gentleman refers, we accepted the recommendation of the independent pay review body. I think that was the right thing to do.14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes, I will. This is an important issue, and we are working on it with the British Medical Association, the NHS, and other important organisations. We can do a number of things,…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMr Speaker, before I make my statement today, I am sure that the whole House will want to join me in offering our condolences to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy hon. Friend is right to raise that. The booster jabs will be hugely important in maintaining protection. The GP networks and the NHS vaccination centres have all been part of…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe hon. Lady is right to raise this important issue. Throughout the pandemic we have offered advice for those who are immunocompromised and given guidance through clinicians…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWe have made huge progress as a country in fighting this virus, and that is why we do not need certification; we do not need the plan B measures that the right hon. Gentleman has…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWhen I talked earlier about unsustainable pressure, it would be things like hospital occupancy, in particular in intensive care units, the admissions of vaccinated individuals…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI do understand the point the hon. Lady makes, but may I suggest that, if she has not yet, she should read the JCVI’s advice on booster vaccines? I think then she might better…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateYes. GPs do get and will get additional funding to support vaccination programmes, including the flu vaccination programme. In terms of co-administering the covid vaccine with the…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThere are measures that, when it makes sense, we must remove. The reason that we can take a different approach to contact tracing than we did a few months ago is largely down to…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateThe right hon. Lady makes an important point. We want everyone to take up the offer of a vaccine, and she is right to point out the disparity in take-up in certain communities.…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI agree with my hon. Friend. Some 6 million adults throughout the UK remain unvaccinated, and we should all do that we can to at least encourage them to think about taking the…14 Sept 2021HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateI believe we have been very clear on this issue.14 Sept 2021