Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Public Health England's report, Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19, published in June 2020, what plans his Department has to conduct further research into the effect of covid-19 on people with (a) diabetes and (b) obesity; and if he will make a statement.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR’s Recovery and Learning Call will fund research to better understand and manage the health and social care consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic beyond the acute phase. The research will focus specifically on health outcomes, public health, social care and health service delivery and to mitigate the impact of subsequent phases and aftermath. Research on the effect of COVID-19 on people with obesity and diabetes and with black, Asian and minority ethnic populations is in scope.

This follows on from the UK Research and Innovation-NIHR Rapid Response Rolling Call for COVID-19 research that could make a significant contribution to the understanding, prevention and/or management of the COVID-19 outbreak. A highlight notice on ethnicity formed part of this initial call.