Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the European Medicines Agency to approve Covishield vaccines produced at the Serum Institute of India for the EU's Green Pass.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Licencing applications made to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a matter for individual pharmaceutical companies. The timescale for a decision to approve such applications is a matter for the EMA.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on whether businesses are planned to be required to ensure compliance on health and safety grounds for their employees with (a) social distancing and (b) face-covering requirements after 21 June 2021.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers and officials across Government have regular discussions about the future direction of social distancing policy. These discussions include consideration of whether businesses may be required to ensure employees comply with social distancing and face covering requirements on health and safety grounds.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to make it his policy to prevent distribution of the Abortion and Abortion Care Factsheet produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in 2019 in schools until it has been (a) peer reviewed and (b) updated with recent research developments on fetal pain.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is not responsible for production of this factsheet and has no role in its distribution. It is for individual schools to determine whether they use the factsheet.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the endorsement by Public Health England of the factsheet, Abortion and Abortion Care Factsheet which references IPAS as an authority on abortion care which advocates abortion without prescriptions and with or without the involvement of a health provider.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. The Abortion and Abortion Care Fact Sheet for schools was produced and published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. The contents of the factsheet were developed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Public Health England co-badged the factsheet on the basis that the Royal College represents the United Kingdom medical experts on abortion.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department taking to ensure that lateral flow testing is rolled out to visitors to supported living settings.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that in supported living environments, the accommodation is the person’s own home and that for many people in supported living, there are important reasons for having in-person visits. Our guidance for supported living settings includes guidance on visiting safely, and is available at the following link:
We currently do not offer any lateral flow testing for visitors in supported living settings. However, this is under review. Our testing strategy is based on clinical advice about relative priorities and developed in consultation with the sector to ensure any testing programmes are practical, deliverable and meet the needs of both carers and people receiving care.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason pubs cannot serve takeaway alcohol outside of their premises during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has listened carefully to the views of the scientific community, the information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and its sub-groups when taking decisions on the best way to tackle the pandemic
Allowing people to take alcohol purchases away from hospitality venues increases the risk that people will consume the alcohol nearby or congregate in public spaces. We have seen evidence where local authorities have taken enforcement action against pubs, therefore we are mitigating against this risk.
The Government has these restrictions constantly under review.