Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing to veterinary (a) workers and (b) businesses following the removal of veterinary workers from the list of critical workers during the third covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that veterinary workers can continue to provide 24 hour emergency services during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department taking to support veterinary workers during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary practices have been able to remain open and continue operating during the Covid-19 outbreak and are able to provide a range of services as those practices see fit. The Government has been working with the veterinary profession to develop guidance and protocols so that veterinary practice staff and customers alike can remain safe.
Veterinary surgeons working in food supply are classed as critical workers in England for the purposes of securing childcare in schools. This includes veterinary surgeons working in abattoirs and meat processing plants, at border control posts, and attending to livestock production.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the statutory regulator of the profession, under their code of professional conduct requires all veterinary surgeons to have provisions in place to allow customers to access 24-hour care. Even if a veterinary practice does not provide 24-hour care itself it must ensure a customer can be directed to a local practice that does provide such a service.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether vets, veterinary nurses and people in related professions are key workers under the covid-19 guidance.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The designation of key workers is a devolved matter and the Scottish Government has published guidance covering Scotland.
The Scottish Government has defined categories of workers as a guide for Local Authorities to use when designating key workers. This approach means there may be slight differences in each community in Scotland to address local priorities.
The relevant section of the Government covid-19 guidance, Food and other necessary goods, states that the key worker status includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).
For more information relating to key worker status for vets please refer to the guidance found at:
www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/coronavirus-rcvs-and-bva-issue-joint-guidance-on-key-worker.
For more information on key workers in general please refer to the GOV.UK website at: