Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his statement in 10 Downing Street on 18 April 2020, how many of the 750,000 reported volunteers are providing telephone support to the extremely vulnerable group of people being asked to shield at home as a result of the covid-19 outbreak measures.

As of 1 May 2020, out of the 750,000 people who have signed up to the NHS Volunteer Responders programme in England, 607,074 volunteers have completed the necessary identity checks to begin helping those most vulnerable, more than double the original target. Between 7 April – 1 May 2020, 17,594 check in and chats have been completed.