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 - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
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 - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
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 and Eccles)
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 - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
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 - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
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, Gorton)
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.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of funding that is required to enable (1) the Bendrigg Trust, (2) the Exmoor Calvert Trust, (3) the Northumbria Calvert Trust, and (4) the Lake District Calvert Trust, to remain open following the financial losses sustained by those specialist residential outdoor centres for children and families with disabilities in England as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have to provide such funding.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support businesses and public services. The government has spent over £280 billion to do so. This includes small business grants, the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK. In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021. Further measures were announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2021 Budget on 3 March including the extension of the CJRS until the end of September 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants, with a fifth grant available from July 2021. The Recovery Loans Scheme will launch to make finance available to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery. More details of the scheme will be announced in due course.
The government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need.
The government would encourage businesses who are unable to access support or who are unsure of the support available to access free tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (Freephone 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through or through local Growth Hubs in England: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts. Firms in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access business support through the devolved governments.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided in the last 12 months for residential outdoor education for children and families with disabilities; and what plans they have to provide further funding for such education.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support businesses and public services. The government has spent over £280 billion to do so. This includes small business grants, the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK. In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021. Further measures were announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2021 Budget on 3 March including the extension of the CJRS until the end of September 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants, with a fifth grant available from July 2021. The Recovery Loans Scheme will launch to make finance available to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery. More details of the scheme will be announced in due course.
The government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need.
The government would encourage businesses who are unable to access support or who are unsure of the support available to access free tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (Freephone 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through or through local Growth Hubs in England: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts. Firms in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access business support through the devolved governments.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional financial support to outdoor educational centres.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support businesses and public services. The government has provided over £280 billion through small business grants, COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.
In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an extension to the deadline for applications of the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021. Further measures were announced in the Budget 2021 on 3 March including the extension of the CJRS until the end of September 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants, with a fifth grant available from July 2021, and the Recovery Loans Scheme launching to make finance available to help businesses of all sizes through the next stage of recovery. More details of the scheme will be announced in due course.
The government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need.
The government encourages businesses who are unable to access support or who are unsure of the support available to access free tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through local Growth Hubs in England: www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts. Businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access business support through the devolved governments.