Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the amount of time between the administration of the first and the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine does not exceed six weeks.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Since December 2020, the Government’s policy has been to offer people their second vaccine dose up to 12 weeks after their first dose. The decision to update the dosing interval will give as many people at the highest risk their first dose as soon as possible and it is in line with the conditions of authorisation from Medicines and Healthcare and Regulatory Authority for the vaccine.
This approach is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and four UK Chief Medical Officers and is designed to save lives. Analysis carried out by Public Health England suggests that the COVID-19 vaccination programme prevented 6,100 deaths in England up to the end of February 2021.
The Government is in constant contact with the vaccine manufacturers and remains confident that the supply of vaccine to the UK will not be disrupted, and will enable everyone to receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of protection one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provides against COVID-19; and what plans they have to publish the evidence base that informs their data on the effectiveness of one such dose.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Since the beginning of the vaccination programme, Public Health England (PHE) has been monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccines in the real world. PHE’s first analysis of the early effects of COVID-19 vaccination in England, using routine testing and vaccination data, was published on 1 March. The data shows effectiveness of a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against symptomatic COVID-19 reaches approximately 60% in those aged 70 and over in the general population, reaching 85% to 90% after two doses in those aged 80 years and over. The data also shows a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine is 80% and 95% effective at reducing hospitalisation and mortality from COVID-19, respectively, in those aged 70 and over. PHE’s latest vaccine effectiveness report can be found attached entitled, ‘Public Health England vaccine effectiveness report March 2021’
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to pre-book COVID-19 tests for all university students to take before they return to university after the Christmas break.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has established a large number of asymptomatic test sites across higher education institutions. We are working to make the return to higher education as safe as possible. All students will have the opportunity to be tested on their return to university at the start of the spring term. The Government has provided guidance for universities to implement a staggered return of students over five weeks to minimise the transmission risk from the mass movement of students. Further guidance will be provided in due course, considering future developments and the relevant scientific advice.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that AirBnB will share data with HMRC about the earnings of hosts in the UK for the years 2017/18 and 2018/19, what steps they are taking to ensure all short term letting agencies do the same; and what plans they have to share this data with local councils to ensure properties in their areas are let for only 90 days of short term lettings a year.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receive data routinely from a variety of sources. This data supports compliance activity to reduce the size of the gap between the tax which is owed and that which is paid.
HMRC understand that the short-term property letting market is a rapidly evolving sector and are working in partnership with companies such as Airbnb to address the tax consequences of these changes, supporting taxpayers in ensuring they are aware of their tax obligations and pay the right tax at the right time.
HMRC are bound by a strict duty of confidentiality as laid down in the Commissioners for Revenue & Customs Act (CRCA) 2005 with respect to all of the information they hold in connection with their functions. HMRC officials may share information only in the limited circumstances set out in legislation, which include disclosures for the purposes of HMRC’s functions, through specific information sharing legislative gateways.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to bring presently unused office spaces into use to provide housing for those who are unable to find safe places to live during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Almost 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the COVID-19 emergency. This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.
On 24 June we announced that we are?providing local authorities with?a further?£105 million?to enable them?to?best?support those placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic.?This commitment?will help?to ensure that as few of these people as possible return to the streets.
We also recently announced that £160 million of Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme funding will help ensure that 6,000 new housing units are put into the system, with 3,300 of these becoming available within 2020/21. We expect local authorities and registered providers to bring forward units of accommodation from a variety of sources and this could potentially include repurposing other buildings where appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for providing access to unused holiday lets accommodation in London to homeless people.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Almost 15,000 vulnerable people have been housed in emergency accommodation, including hotels, since the start of the COVID-19 emergency. This includes people coming in directly from the streets, people previously housed in shared night shelters and people who have become vulnerable to rough sleeping during the pandemic.
On 24 June we announced that we are?providing local authorities with?a further?£105 million?to enable them?to?best?support those placed into emergency accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic.?This commitment?will help?to ensure that as few of these people as possible return to the streets.
We also recently announced that £160 million of Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme funding will help ensure that 6,000 new housing units are put into the system, with 3,300 of these becoming available within 2020/21. We expect local authorities and registered providers to bring forward units of accommodation from a variety of sources and this could potentially include repurposing other buildings where appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the availability of National Health Service dental treatment for patients of all ages.
Answered by Lord Bethell
National Health Service dental practices were able to restart face-to-face care from 8 June, with the aim of increasing levels of service for all patients, as fast as is safely possible, taking into account Public Health England guidance and continued infection risks.
Urgent dental care centres remain open to support the provision of urgent and emergency face-to-face care for dental patients and patients will be referred to urgent dental care centres, where needed locally.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to give boarding schools greater autonomy to decide how to operate from September 2020.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The Department has published guidance to support all schools as they prepare for the return of all pupils from the beginning of the autumn term: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The guidance provides schools with advice about how to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools. It also sets out how the department expects schools to operate, and where there is flexibility. For boarding schools the guidance encourages schools to keep children in their class groups, but also allows for the mixing of pupils in different groups residentially and during the school day.
Boarding schools will still need to meet the national minimum standards to safeguard and protect the children in their care and those that are independent schools will need to comply with the independent school standards.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with local authorities in Greater London about the licensing of properties to be used as short-term holiday lets; and what were the outcomes of any such discussions.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
My Department has not discussed this specific issue with local authorities in Greater London since the 2019 General Election. However, my Department has regular contact with local authorities and remains open to discussing any concerns they hold.
While the Government does not require short-term accommodation providers to register, the Short Term Accommodation Association has developed an accreditation scheme, in partnership with Quality in Tourism, called ‘Safe, Clean and Legal’.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of short-term holiday lets on the availability of housing for those who wish to live in London.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
The Government has not made such an assessment. However, restrictions are in place to limit the use of residential property for short-term let in London. The Deregulation Act 2015 imposes a 90-day limit on any such letting within a single calendar year.
The sharing economy plays an important role in accommodating tourists, who make a huge financial contribution to the country. But there are also legitimate concerns about the impact on local communities. The Government remains open to hearing the views of all stakeholders on the matter. It is important to find ways to address these concerns without placing too great a burden on the growing sharing economy.