Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the argument that restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 indirectly cost more lives than they save.

These restrictions are necessary and proportionate to prevent the incidence and spread of COVID-19, to protect the National Health Service and to save lives.

An analysis of the overall health impact of lockdown was published in July. A copy of Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity: Executive Summary is attached.

Estimates of the impact of COVID-19 admissions on NHS capacity was published in October as part of a presentation by the Chief Scientific Adviser. A copy of this presentation is attached.

These set out the risk that non-COVID-19 health services would be impacted at a national level by early December if the NHS were to free-up sufficient capacity to meet the projected hospital admissions from COVID-19 patients. If action had not been taken, we would exceed surge hospital capacity by approximately 4 December, even after postponing some hospital services.