Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to co-ordinate a cross-Departmental response to a potential increase in the prevalence in covid-19 in winter 2020-21.

The actions of the Government and people across the UK have reduced the transmission of the virus significantly from its peak in the spring, but the coming winter presents further challenges.

Our collective understanding of the virus, and how it spreads, has vastly improved since the initial wave of infections. In the coming months, we will continue to assess what the UK can learn from other nations, and carry out a series of exercises to test the Government’s winter plans, and to ensure effective coordination between departments and with the devolved administrations.