Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the risks that covid-19 poses for homeless people and rough sleepers.

Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance for hostel or day centres for people rough sleeping, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-services-for-people-experiencing-rough-sleeping

As part of local emergency planning, local councils would have plans in place to provide support to these groups of people, including providing suitable accommodation for self-isolation.

General PHE advice on COVID-19 is updated regularly and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

The Stay at Home guidance on self-isolation and access to testing is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection