Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, after residents of care homes have received their second covid-19 vaccine, when visiting restrictions are planned to be lifted, what steps he plans to take to ensure that those visits are safe; and when the Government plans to publish guidance on that matter.

Care home visits can continue to take place with arrangements such as outdoor visiting, substantial screens, or visiting pods. Close-contact indoor visits should not be taking place, other than in exceptional circumstances such as end of life.

We will be looking to ensure that a wider range of visiting arrangements are made available when it is safe to do so. We will publish updated guidance as this period of national lockdown ends.