Covid-19: Winter Plan

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Mr Stringer asked the Prime Minister whether he was confident that the new tier system will reduce transmission below R=1. He further inquired about how local leaders would be involved in decision-making processes and highlighted the importance of testing, tracing, and isolating to ensure compliance.

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Ms Johnson questioned whether the Government was prepared for another national lockdown should the R-rate rise above 1. She expressed concern over the economic impact and asked about plans to support businesses if this scenario were to occur.

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Mr Meakin inquired about financial assistance for local authorities tasked with enforcing stricter tiers and questioned whether these measures would cause a strain on resources, potentially leading to non-compliance.

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Ms Griffith raised concerns about economic impacts on businesses, particularly those not covered by current support schemes. She asked for clarity on new economic measures being planned.

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The shadow Chancellor welcomed progress on vaccine development but raised concerns about the proposed three-tier system. He questioned which local areas would be in each tier, how long they will remain there, whether there is an economic package to accompany these tiers, and if test, trace, and isolate capabilities are adequate.

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Welcoming the end of blanket national lockdown, Damian Green asked that new tiers be imposed at a local level rather than regional for more fairness.

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Welcomed the encouraging news about vaccine development but criticised the Government's exclusion of freelancers, sole traders, and recently self-employed individuals from economic support. Called for a financial package to be put in place before Christmas for these three million people who have been excluded.

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Asked for an outline of expected impact of restrictions on covid, non-covid health impacts, and livelihoods.

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Asked whether no care home will be required or pressurised to admit anyone from an NHS hospital who has tested positive for covid.

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Asked for support to continue being given to local health and council services so they do not exit lockdown at the highest tier.

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Questioned whether statement should alarm people given it denies basic freedoms, drives millions into poverty, and instils fear.

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Asked for reassurance that healthy outdoor sports or religious services will never be abolished again and about Christmas carols.

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Asked for a sufficient allocation of vaccines based on need in Wales.

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Said it would feel unfair if York remains in high tier restrictions despite a lower covid rate. Asked for hope that self-discipline and resilience are rewarded.

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The tougher tiers need to deliver sustained reductions in transmission by improving the test and trace system. The Government needs to pay people more when necessary, offer hotel accommodation if needed, fix the app so that people told to self-isolate can qualify for support, and give the unfairly deemed ineligible self-employed some hope.

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Will my right hon. Friend work across Government to look at reopening outdoor education centres as soon as possible for residential visits, so that whole cohorts of young children do not miss out on this vital and life-affirming educational opportunity?

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Will my right hon. Friend ensure that planning around the Christmas season includes the Irish Government, focusing on travel arrangements and household mixing guidance?

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Does my right hon. Friend agree that having Ipswich at the forefront of both testing and vaccinations will be a real boost to Ipswich residents?

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Will my right hon. Friend impart a question to the Prime Minister, begging him at this late stage to change his mind regarding restrictions? Huddersfield has worked hard under tier system but needs only a few more weeks to see results.

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Will grassroots sports return from 3 December in all three tiers? Will variances be considered across big counties and regions?

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What reasons underlie the curfew measures when there is no science behind it? Millions of jobs have been lost and will be lost in pub and hospitality sectors.

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What progress has been made towards integrating lockdown measures and testing at airports? What encouragement can be given to Bristol international airport in the constituency?

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How does the right hon. Gentleman justify not applying the same uplift to those on legacy benefits, sick or disabled who have incurred additional costs and hardships due to Government advice?

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May I return to the question asked by my right hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean? The Secretary of State said that he recognises the damage done by these restrictions. Will he go further and publish the Government’s assessment of what the impact is in both economic and health terms? Will he ensure that on Thursday, when it becomes clear which regions are going into which tiers, the Government publish the exact criteria that will be used to make that judgment?

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The news of the successful development of three vaccines is to be warmly welcomed because it offers light at the end of the tunnel. However, distribution will be a huge logistical challenge. What guarantee can he give that the Welsh Government will receive any additional resources they require to meet the task at hand?

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As my right hon. Friend knows, I do not support lockdowns, tiered or otherwise, but I welcome the move to get these vaccines. That is very good news. As I understand it, the Government’s main weapon is test and trace. May I suggest that test and quick result is equally important? When will the Government be able to tell the House when the whole country can be tested and get a quick result?

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With the infection rates still high across the north-east, it is looking likely that the region will come out of this national lockdown in a worse position than it was in going in. When the tier restrictions were last implemented, local leaders had to fight the Government for a fair amount of funding for our region. Can the Secretary of State assure us that this time the north will not be left behind again? In line with their levelling up agenda, will the Government ensure that all businesses and people receive the correct level of financial support?

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Physical and mental wellbeing go hand in hand, and both are under attack from this virus. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s comments on outdoor sport, but at this time of year, it is the fitness studios, Pilates studios and dance studios that are crucial to keep people active. What reassurance can he give the House that, even in areas that are in a higher tier, every effort will be made to ensure that people can keep active?

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Councils and health trusts cannot roll out rapid testing for vulnerable groups, employ, train and enforce in the way described by the Prime Minister and roll out the vaccination programme without significant additional resources. The Army has been helping with the rapid testing in Liverpool, but will the Government adequately resource local authorities and local health trusts to deliver what is needed?

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Freelancers and directors of limited companies in Lincoln and across the UK have had a particularly hard year, with many of them receiving next to no financial support from the Government yet. While today’s announcements are welcome and we are moving in a positive direction, many will still have to wait several months before small businesses can return to some form of normality. Will my right hon. Friend urge his close friend the Chancellor to provide grant funding for those individuals and businesses?

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The Government have committed to level up the country, and in particular the north of England. Given the risk that covid will level us down, what assurances can the Secretary of State give that in Wednesday’s spending review, the Chancellor will reform the Green Book, replace the local growth fund with the shared prosperity fund and deliver the investment needed to tackle regional inequalities?

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I heard the Secretary of State say some welcome things about sport. Given the importance of maintaining fitness to the ability to deal with this illness, can he confirm whether people will be able to go to indoor swimming pools and play golf?

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I welcome the plans in place to test students, enabling them to travel home for Christmas, and I commend the work of the University of St Andrews, in my constituency, which has stepped in to facilitate that. What engagement is being had with devolved nations about the return and testing of students in January?

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So many businesses and jobs in my constituency are based in pubs and the brewing industry, which are not set up to provide food and without further support will struggle to make it through December. May I ask the Prime Minister, through my right hon. Friend, to ensure that any support provided to wet pubs also includes the wider brewing industry?

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Twigg expressed concern about small businesses receiving little to no support, despite the Government's promises. He also highlighted a significant drop in GP referrals for various health issues.

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Butler asked if the Government would base future restrictions on truly local needs and evidence.

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Stephens thanked public sector workers for their efforts during the pandemic but questioned why they should face a three-year pay freeze.

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Clark suggested advancing some of the record-breaking science funding to help life-saving research funded by charitable funds continue despite decreased fundraising income.

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Burgon criticised the Government’s handling of the pandemic, highlighting that cases skyrocketed due to ignoring scientists’ advice. He argued for responsibility taking and better planning to prevent a third wave.

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Buchan requested assurance that London will be assigned the lowest tier possible, given its lower case rate compared to other regions.

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Davies-Jones questioned the Prime Minister's commitment to the Union, highlighting a failure to provide financial support during flooding and coronavirus.

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Afolami enquired about plans for sports facilities to remain open during winter in all tiers.

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Nichols highlighted the substantial meal requirement under tier 2 and asked for a sector deal to support pubs.

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In Birmingham, the data suggests that the biggest driver for transmission is household mixing. With that in mind, will the Prime Minister give serious consideration to allowing places such as Buzz Bingo and Hollywood Bowl in Great Park, in the Northfield constituency, to open in all three tiers—not just to save jobs and those businesses, but so that family and friends can socialise in a covid-secure way?

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Schools across Enfield North face mounting costs associated with enhanced cleansing regimes, procurement of laptops for virtual learning and skyrocketing bills for staff absence and supply teachers as a result of teachers having to self-isolate. What additional funding and financial support is being made available to schools to support them with those additional covid-related costs?

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The Government’s support packages for cultural venues throughout this pandemic have provided a lifeline for many attractions in my constituency. Will the Prime Minister join me in reopening the Blackpool Tower ballroom and launching a campaign to encourage people to holiday here in the UK next year?

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Small Business Saturday is only a couple of days after the lifting of this lockdown, but small businesses do not know how or whether they will be able to trade. What per head economic support will the Prime Minister provide to local authorities to help small businesses make it through to the promised land of covid-free vaccines?

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I understand that my right hon. Friend is going to require London to be in one regional tier. However, as at the end of last week, the rate of infection in the worst affected borough was at 372 per 100,000, but in the least affected area it was at 125 per 100,000. What will drive which tier London goes into—the position in the worst affected area, the middle, or the least affected area?

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Whatever tier of protection, people expect frontline workers to get the support they need to keep themselves and their colleagues safe. In response to a judicial review initiated by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, the High Court ruled that the UK Government were wrong in not extending health and safety protections to gig economy workers. Will the Prime Minister ensure that this is corrected?

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I ask the Prime Minister to join me in congratulating Cobra Biologics in Newcastle-under-Lyme, who have been part of the Oxford project. Does he agree that the fact that the vaccines are so close now is a reason why we should redouble our efforts to observe the guidance and be responsible with the extra permissions we will get over December?

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The Prime Minister failed to answer the question from the Leader of Opposition about the extent to which local areas would be consulted on what tier they would be returned to. Will he clarify what exactly the criteria are that will be used to make these decisions?

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'He loved Big Brother.' The last ruler that told us how we may or may not celebrate Christmas was Oliver Cromwell. It didn’t well, did it?

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We had terrible flooding in Rhondda which led to a landslide from a coal tip, which could all too easily have landed on top of people’s houses. We need £100 million. So far, the Prime Minister has promised one Member of this House to passport the money, in February. He promised me in June that this was going to be sorted. Can he now say we are going to get that money on Wednesday?

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Can the Prime Minister tell us when the limits for spectators at spectator sports and business events will be set? Most importantly, what does my right hon. Friend think the chances are of getting the over-80s and the most vulnerable vaccinated before Christmas?

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Many businesses and people in my constituency of Edinburgh West are still completely excluded from Government support. Can the Prime Minister assure us that his Government will address the issue of those millions of people who have been excluded?

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I know that the whole House will want to join me in sending our condolences and thoughts to the two crew members of the Joanna C, which sank at sea this weekend. With regards to today’s announcement, will the Prime Minister make the desire to get the R level to 1 a time-specific objective, or a permanent one?

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Wales is already out of its successful circuit-breaker. When England comes out of lockdown into a tiered system, will the Prime Minister ensure that people who live in tiers 2 and 3 are not in a position to make non-essential travel out of those regions into other English regions or into Wales, in order to contain the spread of the transmission of the disease?

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I welcome the changes today for gyms, God and golf, opening in all tiers, but will the Prime Minister confirm that the hospitality sector, forced to close in tier 2 and tier 3 areas, will continue to receive grant support in the future?

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Under the previous tiering system, my constituents in Lancaster and Wyre were frustrated that, although they had infection rates at the bottom of the Lancashire table of infections, they were bound by the rest of the county when it came to the tiering system. Will the Prime Minister reassure my constituents and businesses that operate in my constituency that district councils will be taken into account and consulted when deciding which tiers we are going into?

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Will my right hon. Friend tell us exactly what the criteria will be for moving up and down the tiered system, and how often a review of each area will take place?

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While the Prime Minister might hope that coronavirus will take the day off this Christmas, key workers in prisons, local authorities and emergency services will be working hard to keep vital services running. Despite that, the Chancellor is apparently set to freeze their pay. Will the Prime Minister order the Chancellor to reverse that decision, or do key workers need to set up unproven personal protective equipment companies if they want to receive Government money?

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I strongly support what the Prime Minister has said today. He will know that despite the strong financial support for businesses, many businesses in my constituency of Harlow have really struggled. Therefore, as well as paying tribute to Harlow’s small businesses, may I urge him to ensure that he takes into consideration the really tough—sometimes devastating—effects on small businesses in future decisions on covid?

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The Prime Minister said that he plans to extend mass testing. Some 2,000 military personnel were needed to deliver mass testing in Liverpool, and they were not able to extend it to the rest of the five boroughs in the city region. They are now due to return to other duties. Meanwhile, other public sector workers are flat out on the crisis already, so what is the plan for rolling out mass testing? Would it not be better to concentrate on getting contact tracing right?

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The Prime Minister has given a clear policy direction, together with the rationale behind the changes about to be introduced. People will be particularly pleased that spectators can return to sporting events. Will he share the scientific evidence and thinking behind this with the Welsh Government, in the hope that my constituents can benefit from the same privileges that will be available in England?

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Showpeople who run our fairs and showgrounds have been adhering to lockdown rules since March, but because they do not have fixed premises, they are not eligible for rates relief or many other aspects of financial support. Will the Prime Minister agree to meet me and the Showmen’s Guild to look at how we can support people who run our fairs and showgrounds?

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I thank Tom Keith-Roach of AstraZeneca for producing a vaccine that, when fairly compared, is actually 90% effective. Will my right hon. Friend revisit the restrictions that he is proposing today if the vaccine is approved in the coming days?

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My constituents in Blaydon, along with others across the north-east, have been working really hard to stop the spread of coronavirus. Our councils have responded magnificently, too, but questions still remain about the funding for the more effective local test and trace, additional support for businesses already in tier 2 or 3 before the shutdown and funding for the local roll-out of the vaccination programme. Will the Prime Minister ensure that funding is now made available urgently to local authorities to meet these costs?

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I am incredibly grateful to the Prime Minister for sticking to his word and ending the national lockdown on 2 December as promised. Looking ahead to the new tiered system, I have been speaking to hospitality businesses today that very much welcome the changes to the curfew but just want the Prime Minister’s reassurance that additional support packages will remain in place if they are to go into tier 2 or 3.

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On Friday, I met online with nurses in Birmingham who said that they had never seen so much death on the wards. They have had to bid goodbye to colleagues who have left the hospital in hearses. Many are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. We owe it to them to play by the rules to save our NHS, but we have to save livelihoods, too. I have read the action plan that the Prime Minister has published. There is one mention of the self-employed on page 39, but in the west midlands, half the self-employed are not eligible for the Government support scheme—that is 121,000 people. They are not going to be helped by VAT cuts, bounce back loans or the art and culture schemes. What they need is eligibility for the self-employment scheme, so will the Prime Minister bring forward changes to the scheme, or is he hell-bent on starving our entrepreneurs this Christmas?

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A localised tiered approach is definitely the best way forward, and in Wiltshire, we very much look forward to going back into what I hope will be the lowest level of restrictions. Will my right hon. Friend commit to publishing very clear indicators so that local leaders know what they need to do in order to exit down the tiers and eventually get out of the restrictions altogether?

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On 12 October, I asked the Prime Minister if he would ensure that British Sign Language was available at future press conferences. He said: 'the point is registered.'—[Official Report, 12 October 2020; Vol. 682, c. 39.] Registered, but not delivered. Six weeks since that question and eight months since the start of the pandemic, there is still no progress on a sign language interpreter. Will the Prime Minister meet me and others, who rely on sign language interpretation, to work out a solution so that Government communication is inclusive of all disabled people?

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Prime Minister, you will know more than anyone else in this House that London is a wonderful diverse city. Many Londoners will welcome much of your statement. However, we are not a single homogenous unit. So can I have your reassurance that when considering the tier system, you will look at the regulations, consider London borough by borough and not treat us all as one unit?

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People living in care homes need visitors. The plans to test family members so they can visit are welcome, but there is a big issue with insurance and the need for care homes to have indemnity if they experience a covid outbreak after visits. Care homes are already struggling financially and they should not be left facing ruinous legal fees because they tried to do the right thing and facilitate safe visits. So will the Prime Minister commit to extending the indemnity to care homes, which the NHS already has, plus financial support to help the care sector to pay for spiralling insurance premiums?

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International travel is vital for our recovery, not least in the aviation, hospitality, leisure and business sectors. Has the Prime Minister given any thought to the utility of having vaccination stamps in passports, or an equivalent scheme, to get our planes off the ground?

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Today’s covid winter plan confirms a further £7 billion for test and trace, taking the full bill this year to some £22 billion. Could the Prime Minister confirm how much of that additional funding will be going to the highly effective local authority contact tracing teams, how much will be squandered on management consultants and Serco’s failed national contact tracing system, and how much will go on further supporting those asked to self-isolate?

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Dr Andrew Wilson and the Cheshire clinical commission group have done a great job maintaining a high standard of care for patients alongside their covid workload. Can my right hon. Friend reassure Dr Alistair Adey at the Tarporley Health Centre that additional support will be made available to GP practices, so they can continue to deliver that standard, alongside any vaccination programme?

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Household mixing in a major vector for covid, so unless the Prime Minister has negotiated a ceasefire with the virus, the only mixing we should be considering over the next six weeks is our Christmas drinks. Does the Prime Minister have an exit strategy, or is he content to accept a certain level of risk through household mixing?

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On 2 November, I asked the Prime Minister what he felt we had learned in the summer after the end of the first lockdown, and he said that when people were contacted and tested positive, they should isolate. He went on: 'It does not look to me as though the numbers or the proportions have been good enough. We need to get those up in the next phase'.—[Official Report, 2 November 2020; Vol. 683, c. 58.] Will the Prime Minister update me on that point? Yes, mass testing is critical and the vaccine may well save us, but there will be a gap between the first and the last.

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The Government have failed to make provision for the delivery of remote education to pupils who live in a household where someone is clinically extremely vulnerable. A number of my constituents are suffering from extreme anxiety as a result, as they do their best to keep their family safe. Some are even considering home schooling, despite the fact that their children love their schools. Will the Prime Minister respond to their concerns and ensure that in his new guidance, no family is put under unnecessary stress in such a way?

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I very warmly welcome the announcement of the end of national lockdown on 2 December. This morning, I had discussions with school leaders in Runnymede and Weybridge regarding the challenges that they face, and a key message was that our schools are open but that too many pupils are self-isolating at home. Whole year groups being sent home following a case and the self-isolation of teachers, and the impact and cost involved with that were causing huge challenges for the delivery of learning. We must minimise the harms from both covid and the measures being used to fight it. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, as soon as possible, we need to use targeted testing to support teachers and to change and improve our approach to contact tracing in schools to stop whole year groups having to self-isolate following a case so that our schools can continue to provide the learning and opportunities that our children deserve?

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The hope that we have been given by our brilliant scientists will be dashed for millions if the Prime Minister pushes ahead with the public sector pay freeze, which is not levelling up but levelling down. He does not want to be accused of saying one thing and doing another, so will he give a very short answer now and rule out the possibility of a public sector pay freeze?

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Welcoming the Prime Minister's statement and clarity, will he look at extending business rate relief to independent tap shops and breweries in his constituency and give bespoke new grants to this industry?

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Welcoming much in the Prime Minister's statement, is it counterproductive to push people out of regulated hospitality businesses into illegal insecure gatherings?

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Can the Prime Minister ensure that care homes promote visiting and register those who do not allow it?

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Despite promises of 10,000 lateral flow tests for Hull, they have not arrived yet. Should the Prime Minister focus on delivering announced measures?

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Nottinghamshire’s beauty industry was uniquely forced to close before the national lockdown, seeking assurances that there will be no such irregularities under new restrictions.

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Challenging the Health Secretary’s statement that NHS staff have free parking, asking for confirmation of this policy across the country.

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Does my right hon. Friend agree that by protecting NHS capacity during the autumn surge in cases, including at Royal Surrey County Hospital, investing £3 billion in reducing wait times, increasing treatments and mental health care, this Government are taking a balanced approach to all health needs?

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Will the Prime Minister outline what plans the Government have to introduce fast air passenger testing regime?

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Local authorities have stepped up but are facing additional costs from local track and trace, losing income from taxes and fees. Will the Prime Minister give an undertaking that local government will be recognised in the current spending review?

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Can my right hon. Friend confirm that decisions over tiering will be based on local authority areas such as Stockport, rather than wider combined authority areas such as Greater Manchester?

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In light of increased costs for disabled people during the pandemic, with no £20 uplift to their legacy benefits, will the Prime Minister listen to cross-party MPs and peers and take action?

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Families and businesses in Bexleyheath and Crayford support my right hon. Friend’s statement and approach today, while hospitality sector has suffered. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is vital to continue providing support?

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The positive role churches play in society and the importance of public worship should be recognised as we reopen them soon. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that the role of churches cannot be overestimated or overvalued, and that we should be looking at opening our churches again right across the United Kingdom?

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Stoke-on-Trent has pushed down case rates during the second wave by 100 per 100,000 cases. Will my right hon. Friend consider the approach made today of placing Stoke-on-Trent into tier 2 as we exit this national lockdown?

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Those areas that are placed in tier 3 will be keen to get any help they can receive to get themselves out of that. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many of the reductions in infection can be directly attributed to the mass testing scheme in Liverpool, and what level of population buy-in is needed for that system to be effective?

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Will my right hon. Friend join me in praising all our care workers, our staff at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley and, in particular, staff at the Barchester Broadway Halls care home, who went out of their way to enable residents Stan Plawecki, aged 94, and Myra Staves, aged 87, to be part of our Armistice Day commemorations at this very difficult time?

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There have been very positive discussions with the devolved Administrations, including in Wales, about a joined-up Christmas, but can the Prime Minister do something about the terminal incontinence of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in continuing to leak the details of those discussions, undermining the trust and respect needed for those discussions to succeed?

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Will the Prime Minister join me in congratulating all the arts venues, such as the Astor theatre in Deal, the churches and parish halls that have opened their covid-secure doors to help others during the pandemic and encourage such kindness and neighbourly behaviour to continue as we tackle the virus together across the nation?

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My constituents are excited about seeing their families over Christmas, but they are also nervous about putting their elderly relatives at risk. Will the Prime Minister consider using the expanded testing capacity to allow families to get a covid test ahead of visiting elderly relatives at Christmas, even if they do not have symptoms?

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I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and welcome the return of the local approach—something that I hope the devolved Administrations, particularly in Wales, will copy. What they and my constituents want for Christmas is a united approach across the United Kingdom. To please the hon. Member for Cardiff West (Kevin Brennan), will my right hon. Friend, as the Prime Minister for the whole United Kingdom, announce that?

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As an Oxford MP, I echo the Prime Minister’s congratulations to the Oxford Vaccine Group on today’s fantastic news. Will he join me in further congratulating it on being shortlisted for the NHS parliamentary awards? Will the Prime Minister meet me and a cross-party delegation from both Houses to discuss our forthcoming recommendations so that we can create a covid-secure UK?

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With a case rate of 552 per 100,000 and the sixth highest case rate in England, many people expect Kirklees to be in the highest tier when the announcement is made on Thursday. Can I end this session by asking the Prime Minister one more time: please will he speak to the Chancellor again about support for the hospitality supply chain and for breweries and cider producers; will they look again at grant funding; and will they please consider once again cancelling business rates for another year?