Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people there were who tested positive for covid-19 on Day 2 tests after returning to England from Portugal for each day in the period that country was on the Green list.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's most recent estimate is of the covid-19 infection fatality rate.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of 15 July, Public Health England’s modelling group, with the MRC Biostats Unit, estimated that overall infection mortality rate is approximately 0.096%.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the data collected on the dashboard developed by Public Health England for purposes of (a) identifying and (b) monitoring trends in Trust-level hospital onset cases of covid-19 in patients; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Health Service publish weekly reports by trust on the number of hospitalised patients with COVID-19, including those on mechanical ventilation; the number of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19; and the number of patients diagnosed in hospital with COVID-19. These reports are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
In addition, national and regional data on the daily number of hospitalisations, new admissions and inpatient cases and patients on mechanical ventilation is available at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the volume of single-use plastics consumed through (a) PCR and (b) lateral flow covid-19 tests; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have not made a formal assessment. However, NHS Test and Trace continues to work on exploring alternatives to current lateral flow devices which are as safe and effective but are made of predominantly recyclable or biodegradable materials.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will set out plans on the closure of NHS Test and Trace; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The full range of responsibilities delivered by NHS Test and Trace are being transferred into the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKSHA). As NHS Test and Trace transfers into UKHSA, we are planning against a range of scenarios for the trajectory of the pandemic and assessing the appropriate test, trace and self-isolation response. We anticipate testing, tracing and self-isolation requirements to reduce as prevalence reduces. The UKHSA will be fully functional by 1 October.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) Joint Biosecurity Centre’s risk assessment data for the entire covid-19 traffic light list and (b) risk assessment status of all countries and destinations on those green, amber and red lists.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Decisions to place countries on the ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ lists are taken by Ministers informed by evidence, including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s (JBC) risk assessments alongside other wider public health factors. We are unable to provide the advice, evidence and methodology which informs these decisions as it relates to the on-going development of Government policy. However, further information on the data informing international travel risk assessments is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/data-informing-international-travel-risk-assessments
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of how British nationals studying abroad may add their inoculation records to the NHS App for when they return to the UK after having been vaccinated against covid-19 in the foreign country where they reside.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The NHS App can only display vaccinations delivered in England. Once a British national returns from abroad, they will need to contact their general practitioner who will have guidance about what can be used to verify that a person has received a vaccine dose and ensure this is represented on their vaccination history.
There are a large variety of COVID-19 vaccines being administered worldwide. Work is ongoing, including with international partners, to determine which non-United Kingdom vaccines can be recognised.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish an assessment of the effect of covid-19 quarantine requirements on the availability of overseas labour in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have made no specific assessment and have no plans to do so.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the paper entitled Insights on transmission of COVID-19 with a focus on the hospitality, retail and leisure sector, published by the EMG Transmission Group on 30 April 2021, was not disclosed by his Department during the case of R (On the Application of Sacha Lord and Hugh Osmond) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government disclosed the key documents and evidence on 22 March. As this report was not published until 30 April, it was not included.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of infection control measures at covid-19 quarantine hotels; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Managed Quarantine Service operates through a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which include infection control. These procedures are based on advice from the Department’s infection prevention specialist. We have contracted with Global Secure Accreditation to provide liaison officers in each hotel to oversee the correct deployment of the SOPs. They undertake monthly reviews of compliance and their effectiveness and if required make recommendations for the Department to strengthen them. Should an outbreak occur, incident management teams investigate the cause and implement measures to stop further transmission. Directors of Public Health and Environmental Health take considerable interest in all quarantine hotels in their area and regularly visit all quarantine hotels in their area to assure the correct infection control measures are in place.