Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Department's responsibilities does SAGE fall within.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The terms of reference for SAGE can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage.
SAGE is not, as the terms outline, a membership body and the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer will advise on attendance.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the infection fatality rate of covid-19 is in the UK (a) overall and (b) by (i) age group, (ii) gender and (iii) ethnic background.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England does not publish data on the infection fatality rate or the case fatality rate of COVID-19.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of detainees remained in immigration detention centres for longer than 28 days; what the longest recorded length of stay is; and what the (a) median and (b) inter-quartile range of length of stay was in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention on the last day of each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people in detention under immigration powers at 30 June 2020 by current length of detention, are published in Table Det_03c and Det_03d of the ‘Summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.
In addition, the Home Office published data on people leaving detention in each quarter by length of detention in Table Det_04b of the ‘Summary tables’.
Figures on people in detention in Q3 2020 will be published on 26 November 2020. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/910647/detention-summary-jun-2020-tables.xlsx
https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=release-date-oldest
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/910647/detention-summary-jun-2020-tables.xlsx
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue accrued to the public purse from VAT on vehicle rentals in 2019-20; and what estimate he has made of the projected effect of covid-19 on that revenue in 2020-21.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HM Revenue and Customs do not hold data on VAT collected specifically from the rental of vehicles, as information on supplies of specific commodities and services is not required on VAT returns.
HMRC record and publish annually details of VAT receipts across trade sectors and subsectors, but not of specific commodities or services. HMRC estimate and monitor the general impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on VAT receipts based on reference scenarios from the Office for Budget Responsibility, as well as the impact of Government policies related to COVID-19 such as VAT deferral and reduced VAT rates. Impacts on individual commodities or services are not available.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the capacity at NHS Nightingale Hospitals are being used; and what plans are in place for the use of the remainder of the capacity if it is not required at this stage of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Bed availability and occupancy rates are collected and published via the national reporting system at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/
However, information is only published at trust level. The Nightingale hospitals in London (Barts Health NHS Trust) and the North West (Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust) are the only two to have accepted COVID-19 patients at this time. All Nightingale hospitals are now on standby.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps his Department has taken to tackle covid-19 on the prison estate.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We have restricted regimes, minimised transfers between prisons and boosted staffing at the frontline and supported prisoners to maintain family ties.
Prisons are also implementing a ‘compartmentalisation’ strategy to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.
Latest public health advice suggests that the measures we have been taking to tackle covid-19 have helped to limit the spread of the virus in prisons.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of availability of courses for international students at UK universities for academic year 2020-2021.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Teaching, learning and assessment in higher education (HE) are not stopping. We are working with the sector to ensure universities are able to make all reasonable efforts to enable all students, both international and domestic, to continue and complete their studies; for their achievements to be reliably assessed; and for qualifications to be awarded securely.
Despite the significant disruption being felt across the HE sector, students deserve appropriate support and recognition for their hard work and dedication - many universities and colleges have moved rapidly to develop new ways of delivering courses through online teaching and alternatives to traditional end-of-course exams.
Our universities will always be open to international students. Both the government and the HE sector are working together to ensure existing rules and processes are as flexible as possible under the current unprecedented circumstances, to ensure that international students who are planning to study at a UK institution from autumn 2020 can do so.
The UK looks forward to continuing to welcome international students in the future. They enrich UK HE culturally, socially and economically, and are one of the reasons why our HE sector remains world-class.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the long-term effect on children’s physical and mental health of the covid-19 lockdown; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate those effects.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Department for Health and Social Care has responsibility for children and young people’s health and we are working with them, Public Health England and NHS England to understand the impact COVID-19 is having. It is clear that physical and mental health support is more important than ever during COVID-19.
Public Health England has published guidance for parents/carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19:
The Department for Education’s guidance for parents/carers and schools covers how they can support children’s mental health. This information is available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers and
We have also developed online education resources, including resources to support mental wellbeing, physical activity, and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-online-education-resources-for-home-education.
The NHS Change for Life website and Sport England’s Join the Movement campaign both provide advice on staying physically active.
Access to support from health services remains important. NHS services remain open for everyone and leading mental health charities are being supported to deliver additional services through the £5 million Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund. The NHS is also setting up 24/7 open access telephone lines for urgent mental health support for people of all ages. The Department for Education is working across government on further support, including the first of the newly established Mental Health Support Teams which are now working in or near schools and colleges, to support children during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress the Government is making on bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that local authorities can extend legal notices on marriages postponed as a result of the covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Government acknowledges the significant upheaval that Covid-19 is causing for couples who were looking to marry at this time. The requirement to solemnize a marriage within twelve months of giving notice to marry is set out in primary legislation and would require primary legislation to amend.
We are exploring what changes might be possible in relation to marriages at this time, and in line with Public Health England guidance on social distancing.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure support for (a) routine care and (b) all other NHS services continues during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
As a result of the measures put in place to tackle COVID-19, we now appear to have passed the peak of new cases being reported and it has been decided to begin the ‘reset’ of services across the National Health Service. This reset will involve the release and redeployment of some of the treatment capacity that could have been needed while the number of COVID-19 patients was rising sharply.
All NHS organisations have therefore been asked to step-up non-COVID-19 services as soon as possible, starting with the most urgent. Decisions on how to do this will be taken locally, based on local demands for health services. The NHS issued guidance to NHS service providers on 29 April outlining the next steps for the NHS response to COVID-19.