Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what resources he has made available to support women unable to go through the maternity process with their birthing partner as a result of the new national covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 sets out that a person can leave home for any medical reason, including to be with someone who is giving birth.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been able to have one partner of their choice with them during labour and childbirth as long as their birth partner is well and does not have COVID-19 symptoms.

If the birth partner has symptoms of COVID-19, an alternative, well birth partner has been able to attend in their place.