Covid-19

Debate between Louise Haigh and Matt Hancock

Monday 16th March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

Yes. That is an incredibly important point that I discuss regularly with the Foreign Secretary.

[Louise Haigh (Sheffield, Heeley) (Lab)]

Food banks will be under unprecedented pressure in this period, so what measures will be put in place to provide volunteers with protective equipment? Will the Secretary of State consider requiring supermarkets to put aside stocks and provide donations to food banks in this crisis?

[Matt Hancock]

As we expand the amount of protective equipment available, we should look to and work with food banks, which have an incredibly important role to play. I certainly urge supermarkets to do what the hon. Lady asks.

Social Care

Debate between Louise Haigh and Matt Hancock

Tuesday 25th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Louise Haigh (Sheffield, Heeley) (Lab)]

Last year, the hon. Member for Chichester (Gillian Keegan), the right hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) and I set up the all-party group on social care. We produced a report on the professionalisation of the workforce, which looked, in particular, at the undervaluing of the wider workforce in pay, training and qualifications. Will the Secretary of State commit to looking at that report, as the basis of his cross-party consensus?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes, I have. As the hon. Member knows, my hon. Friend the Member for Chichester (Gillian Keegan) was my Parliamentary Private Secretary, and we talked about this a lot, so I welcome that work. Indeed, the amount of work from various Select Committees and groups in this House has been considerable, as my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake) made clear earlier. There has been an awful lot of reports and of very good work, including the work to which the hon. Member has contributed.