Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities do not face discrimination as a result of restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wherever possible we have made exemptions to restrictions, to enable people with a learning disability to continue to access the support they need to live fulfilling lives, whilst balancing this with the need to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

We have recognised the need for support groups for disabled people to continue and formally organised groups of up to 15 can continue to meet, including day services. Government guidance is clear that people who are unable to put on, wear or remove a face covering because of physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability are exempt from having to wear one. We have engaged with disability charities and other stakeholders using multiple channels to communicate this message to the general public. On 1 December we also published an accessible guidance online regarding the local restriction tiers.