Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that soft tissue therapists can return to work.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have now provided close contact services like Soft Tissue Therapists in England, except Leicester, with the certainty they need to reopen from Monday 13 July, subject to them following the COVID-secure guidelines.
We appreciate that this has been difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason soft tissue therapists were not included in the 4 July 2020 reopening plans for people dealing with medical issues.
Answered by Paul Scully
There is clearly a risk of greater transmission in close contact services. That is why we have had to phase their introduction. We had to make difficult choices to keep the R rate below 1.
We have now provided close contact services like Soft Tissue Therapists in England, except Leicester, with the certainty they need to reopen from Monday 13 July, subject to them following the COVID-secure guidelines.
We appreciate that this has been difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the reopening of soft tissue therapist businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy discusses a wide range of topics and policy issues with ministers across Government, including the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
We have now provided other close contact services like massage therapists, reflexologists and other therapeutic services in England except Leicester with the certainty they need to reopen from Monday 13 July, subject to them following the COVID-secure guidelines.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason Soft Tissue Therapists are not able to return to work on 6 July 2020 as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
There is clearly a risk of greater transmission in close proximity services. That is why we have had to phase their introduction. We had to make difficult choices to keep the R rate below 1.
We’ve now provided close contact services like Soft Tissue Therapists in England, except Leicester, with the certainty they need to reopen from Monday 13 July, subject to them following the COVID-secure guidelines.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will allow the reopening of private physiotherapy practices in line with the reopening of non-essential shops as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Private physiotherapy practices were not required to close by law as part of the restrictions introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to work with the charity and voluntary sector during the covid-19 outbreak pandemic to co-ordinate support for people with (a) arthritis and (b) other health conditions to (i) manage their condition and (ii) get help and advice on medication and treatment.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 8 April 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of £750 million to support the charity and voluntary sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included measures to directly support activity undertaken by organisations as part of the Government’s response to the pandemic, and broader support to enable organisations to continue the important work they undertake every day on behalf of the individuals, communities and sectors they represent.
Many organisations have produced advice for people to manage their conditions during the pandemic, and NHS England and NHS Improvement have supported efforts in this area. For example, NHS England and NHS Improvement worked to develop a self-management resource for patients as part of the musculoskeletal leadership group, which also includes the British Orthopaedic Association, the British Society for Rheumatology, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Versus Arthritis and the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.
Both the resource and details of the Chancellor’s announcement can be found at the following links:
www.csp.org.uk/conditions/managing-pain-home
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide additional financial support for (a) dental, (b) physiotherapy and (c) veterinary practices during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is providing funding for Local Authorities to support small businesses that benefit from small business rates relief (SBRR), rural rate relief (RRR) and tapered relief. This will provide a one-off grant of £10,000 per property in receipt of these reliefs, to help meet their continuing business costs. There is no restriction on the type of small business which may be eligible.
In addition to these grants, small businesses may also be able to benefit from the new Discretionary Grant Fund announced by the Government on 1 May. The Government has provided up to an additional £617m for Local Authorities in England to enable them to make grants payments to businesses which are facing high fixed property-related costs, but have been excluded from the existing grants schemes because of the way they are treated by the business rates system. Local Authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for these funds, and businesses will need to apply to their Local Authority in order to receive grants. Businesses which think they may be eligible for a discretionary grant should contact their Local Authority.
Businesses not eligible for grant funding have access to other support measures which the Government has introduced, including:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply: https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he plans to allocate to (a) optometrists, (b) physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy clinics, (c) podiatrists and (d) other healthcare practices that are receiving near-zero patient income due to the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make it his policy to exempt such healthcare practices from fees normally payable to their regulators.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recognises this is a challenging and uncertain period for providers of health and social care, with some suspending their routine services, changing how services are delivered or developing and expanding their service to support the national response to COVID-19. The CQC are asking providers to contact them if they are facing any difficulties in paying CQC’s fees. In these circumstances the CQC will work constructively to find an appropriate solution. Additionally, to give providers in financial difficulty space during this period the CQC will not seek to recover aged debt for the next three months.
NHS England and NHS Improvement issued guidance on 1 April setting out that all routine NHS eye care services should be suspended during COVID-19 to ensure compliance with social distancing measures. Essential services will continue to be provided from a limited number of optical practices. NHS England and Improvement has committed to securing funding for NHS ophthalmic contractors based on average monthly NHS General Ophthalmic Services fees from the previous year. Where activity exceeds the average monthly costs, this will attract additional funding and be reimbursed in the usual way.
Practices are still able to access central Government support for the private element of their business, as can practices who have not been selected to provide essential eye care services.
Support available for private medical businesses includes a commitment to pay 80% of the regular monthly wages, up to £2,500, of furloughed workers for four months, via the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and help for the self-employed with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), which will provide grants to those who are self-employed, or members of partnerships, worth 80% of their trading profits/partnership trading profits, also up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
Healthcare practices may also benefit from other measures, including:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support.