Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to provide local authorities with additional powers to respond to and control localised covid-19 outbreaks.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has been working with the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop the framework for the local management of further outbreaks, and all Upper Tier Local Authorities have been asked to develop local outbreak control plans based on the existing statutory responsibilities of their Directors of Public Health. MHCLG, alongside other relevant departments, are considering whether further powers are required for local authorities to manage future outbreaks in line with these plans.