Oral Answers to Questions

James Sunderland Excerpts

Monday 4th May 2020 Commons Chamber

[James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking with the armed forces to support NHS trusts in their response to the covid-19 outbreak.

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

What support the armed forces are providing to civil authorities in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

[The Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Johnny Mercer) [V]]

As part of the national covid-19 response, Defence has supported NHS trusts in a variety of ways. We have distributed PPE and diagnostic equipment, we supported the planning, construction and staffing of Nightingale hospitals and we provided service personnel to conduct testing at regional and mobile testing sites. We also established a covid support force to assist wider Government, with 2,935 personnel in that force, as of this morning, currently deployed to assist civil authorities.

[James Sunderland [V]]

Given the challenging operational circumstances in which key workers have found themselves in recent weeks, what steps are being taken by the Cabinet Office to recognise those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and might those steps manifest themselves in the form of a campaign medal?

[Johnny Mercer]

We are carefully considering the appropriate ways to reward and recognise those involved in this unprecedented response. There will be a range of ways to mark exceptional contributions once we are through the crisis, including consideration of how the honours system might play a role. Departments continue to consider existing internal mechanisms to reward individuals and teams, with the recent example of Captain Tom Moore being appointed as an honorary colonel.