Covid-19 Update

Daisy Cooper Excerpts

Tuesday 9th November 2021 Commons Chamber

[Sajid Javid]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right that parliamentary procedure is vital. As well as publishing the impact assessment before a vote, I can share with the House that we will be publishing an impact statement today. That will be followed by the impact assessment, later. He mentioned the figure of 32,000. That is the latest published number, from the end of last month. Although it has only been a few days since then, the situation is currently quite fast moving because the number might include a number of people—perhaps in their thousands—who are medically exempt but about whom the Care Quality Commission has not yet been informed. He has pointed to the need for the Government to share our thinking or that of the NHS on workforce planning with respect to this new measure. We will set out more details.

[Daisy Cooper (St Albans) (LD)]

A number of care home owners have said that the damage has already started to be done, and that some of their carers are leaving either their jobs or the sector entirely. I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement that an impact assessment will be forthcoming, and look forward to seeing the impact statement later today. In response to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Tony Lloyd), the Secretary of State also mentioned that the Department is monitoring the issue on a “day-by-day basis”. I worry that an impact statement might be too late if we have to wait two or three months for a vote. Will he commit to publishing the data that he is looking at day by day, so that Members of the House can see in real time whether the policy is going to have an impact on the workforce situation in the NHS and care homes?

[Sajid Javid]

We will be publishing the impact statement today.