Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what discussions he has had with (a) House of Commons staff and (b) trade unions on the health and safety concerns of working on the Parliamentary Estate during the covid-19 outbreak.

I have been in regular contact with the House Authorities throughout the pandemic about the need to bring Parliament back to work in a safe, responsible way in line with public health guidance. As a member of the House of Commons Commission I have also benefited from updates from representatives of the trade unions. In the same way that we prepared for the House’s virtual return after Easter we also worked in collaboration with the House Authorities to ensure that we were ready for the physical return.

Staffing arrangements in the House of Commons are a matter for the House rather than the Government but I am clear that staff should continue to work from home wherever that is possible and any staff that do have to be on site must adhere to the social distancing restrictions. Workplaces should be risk assessed on that basis.