Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a risk assessment was carried out in respect of the decision to close places of worship during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has listened carefully to the views of the scientific community, in particular the information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) when taking decisions on the best way to tackle the pandemic.

In view of the increase in the R Rate, we had to take action to reduce the level of infection to protect our communities and save lives which is why we made the decision to close a broad range of premises, including places of worship for communal prayer. These measures are designed to limit the number of interactions that people have and therefore reduce the risk of spread.

Data and scientific advice informing the fight against COVID-19 are published on gov.uk and specific relevant findings are shared in presentations accompanying significant policy announcements.

The regulations now in force will expire on 2 December, at which point we hope to be able to ease restrictions.