Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Newable Small Business Confidence Index, published on 15 June 2020; and what steps they are taking to assist small businesses in creating sustainable office environments.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the world starts to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, businesses have an opportunity to recover cleaner, rebuild greener and emerge better equipped for the future. Businesses of all sizes can access free support and guidance on accessing the right finance from a range of Government-backed sources: the network of 38 Growth Hubs in England – and equivalent support in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – the Business Support Helpline and the business webpages on GOV.UK.
As part of COP26, through a campaign led by our Net Zero Business Champion my Hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs, small businesses from across the UK are invited to join the green business revolution and commit to becoming more sustainable. By November, the aim is for as many UK small businesses as possible to join the ‘Race to Zero’ – a global effort to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we all generate to zero by 2050.
The first step small businesses can take is to visit our new digital platform and sign up to the globally recognised small business climate commitment. Here small and micro businesses can also get help and advice on how to be greener and save money. The new digital platform is embedded on the existing SME Climate Hub, which is part of the global Race to Zero campaign. Signing up allows businesses to publicly commit to becoming greener, plan the steps they will take to get there, show customers they are serious about climate, and help to start a green business movement.
Taking action on climate change will help businesses to grow, seize new opportunities and adapt against the challenges of a changing planet. Reducing emissions can lower businesses’ running costs, save them money, and attract new customers who want to shop sustainably.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of companies' covid-19 risk assessments including provision of covid-19 fogging equipment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
COVID-19 risk assessments fall under the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remit. As each workplace is different, it is for an employer to identify, as part of their risk assessment, how to control COVID-19 transmission. Guidance has been produced by HSE that gives advice and information to employers on how to do such an assessment and manage the risk from COVID-19 in a proportionate manner. Risk assessment - Working safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (hse.gov.uk)
Frequent surface cleaning is one of several control measures that can be implemented to manage the transmission risk. Fog, mist, vapour or UV (ultraviolet) treatments may be suitable options to help control the spread of coronavirus and disinfecting a larger space or room when people are not present. Any use of these treatments for these purposes should form part of your COVID-19 risk assessment. Users must be competent and properly trained. HSE provides guidance on its website as to when using these systems may be appropriate. Airborne disinfection does not remove the need for surface cleaning and surfaces that are dirty can reduce the effectiveness of disinfectant applied by airborne dispersion.
HSE and public health bodies in England, Wales and Scotland have agreed joint advice for dutyholders considering using walk-through spraying or misting disinfecting systems to reduce transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). Spraying people with disinfectants in this way is not recommended under any circumstances (including in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber). For further information see: Disinfecting using fog, mist and other systems during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic - HSE news
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether covid-19 guidance for places of worship will be updated to allow congregations to sing with masks on, similar to those provisions made in the Welsh Government's new covid-19 guidance, from 21 June 2021 as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Places of worship play an important role in providing spiritual leadership and bringing communities together, however their communal nature makes them particularly vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus.
Congregational singing is under restrictions due to the increased risk of transmission through small droplets and aerosols. This means that those partaking in these activities are at higher risk of transmitting the virus and thus, spreading infection even if the individual is vaccinated.
On 17 May we entered step 3 on the Prime Minister’s roadmap, reintroducing indoor singing in a place of worship for a performance or rehearsal, for a group up to 6 amateur signers. This is in line with all amateur choirs and singing groups. Outdoors, the congregation may join in with singing in multiple groups of up to 30. Congregation members should continue to follow social distancing rules.
Public health is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and so many of the health measures implemented across the UK in response to Covid-19 fall within the competence of the devolved administrations. There are currently no plans to allow congregational singing with masks on to resume before Step 4 of the roadmap in England, which would be no earlier than 19 July.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) collect information on whether incoming international students starting at university in the UK in September 2020 have (i) been vaccinated against covid-19 before arrival and (ii) require a second dose and (b) ensure those students have effective and timely access to vaccination appointments as required.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
Students can book vaccination appointments via the National Booking Service and will have the option to book their second vaccination appointment at a different location to that of their first. This includes students who receive their first vaccination via their GP practice. The National Booking Service allows individuals to view, cancel and rebook their appointments. This is also the case for students who receive their first dose through a GP in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, but who reside in England at the time of their second dose.
Information about the National Booking Service can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/vaccinations/national-booking-service.
Vaccination is not currently a requirement for entry into the UK. However, we encourage all international students to receive a vaccine, either in a different country before arriving for term, or in the UK once they arrive.
International students in the UK are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine for free, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. International students in England can receive the COVID-19 vaccine when they become eligible.
While students are encouraged to register with a GP to access the vaccine, they can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.
When students have entered the UK having had their first vaccination they should receive the same vaccine for their second dose, if this is available and provided that they are eligible. If the vaccine they received for their first dose is not available in the UK, the most similar alternative should be offered.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that higher education students who have moved between home and university since receiving their first dose of the covid-19 vaccination will be able to access their second dose.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
Students can book vaccination appointments via the National Booking Service and will have the option to book their second vaccination appointment at a different location to that of their first. This includes students who receive their first vaccination via their GP practice. The National Booking Service allows individuals to view, cancel and rebook their appointments. This is also the case for students who receive their first dose through a GP in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, but who reside in England at the time of their second dose.
Information about the National Booking Service can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/vaccinations/national-booking-service.
Vaccination is not currently a requirement for entry into the UK. However, we encourage all international students to receive a vaccine, either in a different country before arriving for term, or in the UK once they arrive.
International students in the UK are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine for free, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. International students in England can receive the COVID-19 vaccine when they become eligible.
While students are encouraged to register with a GP to access the vaccine, they can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.
When students have entered the UK having had their first vaccination they should receive the same vaccine for their second dose, if this is available and provided that they are eligible. If the vaccine they received for their first dose is not available in the UK, the most similar alternative should be offered.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether humanitarian aid work and volunteering qualify for exemptions from covid-19 travel restrictions; and if he will update the online Government guidance on travel to clarify what travel restrictions apply to humanitarian aid work and volunteering.
Answered by Robert Courts
Guidance for those intending overseas travel from England during the national restrictions is published on GOV.UK, at: https://www.gov.uk/travel-abroad
For humanitarian and volunteering there is relevant detail under the section on ‘Reasonable excuses for travel abroad’ on: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-declaration-form-for-international-travel
The guidance for persons returning to or travelling into the UK, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control
Different international travel rules may apply in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and individuals should follow the guidance of the relevant devolved administration.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to issue guidance to enable parents to hand over children that live between two parents in separate countries in an airport before returning to their own country during covid-19 travel restrictions.
Answered by Robert Courts
Guidance for parents escorting children for overseas travel from England during the national restrictions is published on GOV.UK, at: https://www.gov.uk/travel-abroad.
Further detail is also available under the ‘Reasonable excuses for travel abroad’ section of the following GOV.UK site: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-declaration-form-for-international-travel
Guidance is also available on GOV.UK for those travelling into the UK: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae
A parent accompanying a child to England who will immediately return to their country of original should review transit guidance published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules#transiting-through-the-uk
Different international travel rules may apply in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and individuals should follow the guidance of the relevant Devolved Administration.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial support available to serviced office providers during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support for businesses including grants for those businesses that are required to close or which are severely affected by the restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19.
For those businesses who have not been mandated to close under the National Restrictions, support may be available through the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant. Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that may have been severely impacted by restrictions but are not eligible for the Restart Grant scheme. Local Authorities can use their local expertise to target businesses to support in their local area. Local Authorities are responsible for the administration for the Grant Scheme.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £425m will be made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020.
Businesses and entrepreneurs that have not been able to access support, or who are unsure about the support that may be available, can also contact their nearest Business Growth Hub. Government has supported the establishment of a network of 38 of these hubs, led by each Local Enterprise Partnership area in England. Expert advisers can offer businesses of all sizes free, tailored 1-1 guidance on areas such as planning, building resilience, and funding. The hubs can also signpost further resources such as webinars and networking opportunities. LEP and Growth Hub contact details are listed online: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/. Firms based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can access similar business support through the devolved governments.
The Government’s free Business Support Helpline FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098 also provides impartial advice and can often signpost firms to further specialised sources of information. The Government publishes online all information detailing the support available to businesses who have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. This can be found online: www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how may people have been vaccinated for covid-19 by (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency, to date.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We publish daily data on the number of people who have received a vaccination - first and second dose - in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the Government's coronavirus data dashboard which is available at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations
This data shows both vaccinations given in a 24-hour period and the cumulative vaccinations given since reporting began on 11 January. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish additional data on vaccinations by cohort.
In England, NHS England also releases a weekly publication of vaccination data by a number of metrics, including local authority and parliamentary constituency, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doses of the (a) Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine and (b) Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine have been made available in (i) the North West, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) Manchester Gorton constituency as at 15 January 2021.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We publish daily data on the number of people who have received a vaccination - first and second dose - in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the Government's coronavirus data dashboard which is available at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations
This data shows both vaccinations given in a 24-hour period and the cumulative vaccinations given since reporting began on 11 January.
In England, NHS England also release a weekly publication of vaccination data by a number of metrics, including region, local authority and parliamentary constituency, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/
This data does not include the specific type of vaccine administered.