Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution on covid-19 of 22 September 2020, Official Report, column 797, what advice SAGE provided to the Government on the effect on the R number of closing hospitality venues at 10pm.

The Government receives a range of inputs in order to make all of its decisions relating to covid-19 restrictions, including inputs from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), from monitoring the impact of restrictions in local areas via the Joint Biosecurity Centre and monitoring international experience. SAGE has reviewed multiple options to reduce the ‘R’ number.