Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's guidance is on provision of informal childcare by people who are clinically extremely vulnerable providing during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.

As a result of the current national lockdown, all clinically extremely vulnerable individuals have been asked to follow shielding guidance to lower the risk of contracting COVID-19.

During this period ‘childcare bubbles’ are allowed to continue, which permits one household to link with one other household to provide informal childcare to anyone under 14 years old. However, whilst shielding is in place nationally those considered clinically extremely vulnerable are advised not to take part in childcare bubbles, to limit their risk of infection.