Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Support for Extremely Vulnerable People

Tuesday 28 April 2020 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government has contacted over 1.8 million individuals to shield themselves and has delivered over 600,000 food boxes to those without support networks.
  • The Secretary of State thanked organisations for their valuable contribution in supporting local authorities during the fight against COVID-19.
  • Government is working with supermarkets to increase delivery slots for those who are shielding, acknowledging the initial challenge with only 2.1 million delivery slots in the sector.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Anthony Browne
NHS
Context

More than 1 million people were classified as extremely vulnerable at the start of the crisis, with more than 1.8 million having been contacted by NHS and DWP to shield themselves.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to enable local authorities to provide food and other support to those who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable during the outbreak?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

The Government has contacted more than 1.8 million individuals to ask them to shield themselves and for those who do not have family, friends or neighbours to support them, over 600,000 food boxes have been delivered.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps taken by the Department are not fully detailed

How: Under Review

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Q2 Brendan Clarke-Smith
NHS Community Security
Context

The constituency benefits from the work of voluntary sector and groups such as Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service and Bassetlaw Action Centre.

Question

Will he join me in recognising the valuable contribution of such groups in supporting local authorities in the fight against covid-19?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

The Secretary of State joins him in thanking those organisations and acknowledges that millions of other people, such as the elderly and vulnerable, are benefiting from the work of charities, faith groups and local councils.

Answered
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Q3 David Johnston
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Some supermarkets are very responsive, providing dedicated telephone lines and email addresses that resolve issues quickly while others have fobbed off people with unhelpful responses.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend assure me that in his work with DEFRA, he will push the supermarkets to be consistent in their approach and get the shielded online delivery slots they really need?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

Individuals who are being shielded have their details passed on to national supermarkets, and there is a challenge for the supermarkets to increase capacity on privileged delivery lists; at the beginning of the crisis, there were typically 2.1 million delivery slots in the entire supermarket sector which has increased to 2.6 million and will be close to 3 million within weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions by DEFRA are not detailed

How: Working On It

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Q4 Anthony Browne
Local Government
Context

Parish councils in South Cambridgeshire are heavily involved in coordinating volunteer efforts and bringing support to vulnerable people but also suffering a loss of income, some are financially distressed.

Question

My right hon. Friend has talked about the welcome support he is giving to county councils and district councils. Will he tell me what his Department is doing to support parish councils in their time of need?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

As allocations for the £1.6 billion funding are brought forward, there will be a significant increase in the amount of money paid to district councils; more than 70% of district councils will receive an additional £1 million and in many cases significantly more.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific support for parish councils not fully addressed

How: Under Review

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Q5 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
Economy Taxation Local Government
Context

Capacity in local councils is extremely stretched, making it difficult to take forward fundamental reform such as fair funding at this time.

Question

Will the Secretary of State give serious consideration to proposals to postpone the fair funding review and the business rate retention scheme changes?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

The Secretary of State will give further thought to that and work with his right hon. Friend the Chancellor before coming back to the House or the sector with a decision.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific plans for postponing are not given

How: Under Review

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Q6 David Linden SNP
Asylum & Refugees Benefits & Welfare
Context

Many asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers face social isolation and financial destitution due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister previously promised support for these individuals.

Question

We know that coronavirus does not restrict borders or immigration status. Many asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers find themselves not only socially isolating, but in financial destitution. Can I ask the Secretary of State why people are still being told that they have no recourse to public funds? They are being left in complete isolation at the height of a global pandemic.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We are really proud of the work that local councils have done in England, and there is a similar workstream in Scotland to bring people off the streets and offer them safer accommodation. Today more than 90% of rough sleepers within England are in safer accommodation, such as hotels. A huge amount of work has now to be done, having brought those people in, to care for them and then to work through what the next steps are, so that they can move on to better accommodation and greater support in the future. With respect to no recourse to public funds, the Government's position and the law have not changed, but councils are able to use their discretion within the law to support those individuals, as they would in the normal way.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific issue of individuals being informed that they have no recourse to public funds despite previous promises was not directly addressed.

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