PMQs

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

On the contrary. I think that the right hon. and learned Gentleman has been stunned by the success of the test and trace operation. Contrary to his prognostications of gloom, it has got up and running much faster than the doubters expected. They are getting it done—Dido Harding and her team have recruited 25,000 people and so far they have identified and contacted 87,000 people who have voluntarily agreed to self-isolate to stop the disease spreading.

Answer from The Prime Minister Boris Johnson

No country has a working contact tracing app. The app is the icing on the cake and not essential; the NHS test and trace operation is up and running, improving, and indispensable for future success.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out the evil that is done by drug gangs around the whole country. County lines operations have spread across our country, and we must roll them up. That is why we are tackling them directly with every technological resource at our disposal, and that is why we are making sure that we invest in another 20,000 police officers going to Keighley and across the country as well.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

As I said in my statement yesterday, the coronavirus job retention scheme—the furlough scheme—as well as what we have done for self-employed people, which has also been considerable, and the expansion of universal credit have been massive commitments by our Government to the workforce of this country. We will continue to make those commitments and, as I said yesterday, if we have to move back—obviously we do not want to—to local lockdowns, or indeed a national lockdown, nobody should be penalised for doing the right thing.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

I will certainly look at all proposals that my hon. Friend makes on taxation. As she must know, they are a matter for the Chancellor and for the next Budget, although what we have already done is give business rates holidays—pushing back business rates right until the end of next year—and huge coronavirus loans, bounce-back loans and grants of £25,000 for every business.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

We have massively increased our spending on universal credit, but the hon. Lady raises an important point about access to benefits for terminally ill people, and I will undertake, if I may, Mr Speaker, to revert to her as soon as possible by writing.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

I refer my hon. Friend to what I said to our hon. Friend the Member for Eastbourne (Caroline Ansell) just now. We will continue to support the hospitality sector in all the ways that I have described, but, of course, what could also happen is that people in Newcastle-under-Lyme could be encouraged to enjoy themselves sensibly, in a covid-secure way, and keep the purple flag flying above it.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

The hon. Lady has an extremely important point. It is one that we are working on very intensively now in Government, so that we use the opportunity of this crisis to bounce forwards with new low-carbon technology that will continue to drive the UK's formidable aerospace industry.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

Yes, indeed. Investing in people's skills during economically difficult times is vital. The Government is investing through the £2.5 billion national skills fund and encouraging as many in-work placements as possible to get people live experience.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

The right hon. Gentleman raises an important point about the DBS system, which is important for protecting children and young people. The Government is considering the Supreme Court's judgment and will set out its opinion in due course.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

Absolutely categorically, there will be no new customs infrastructure because under the protocol, it is clear that Northern Ireland is part of the customs territory of the whole UK. We will join the whole UK in our independent trade policy and do free trade deals around the world.

Answer from The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)

Thanking my right hon. Friend, and agreeing that there will be tough times ahead for people and families. We have massively increased universal credit to help British people through these challenging times.

Answer from The Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Of course this Government accept responsibility, and I accept responsibility, for everything that has happened throughout this crisis, but I will say that what happened with the discharge of patients into care homes was all done according to clinical decisions, as the NHS has confirmed, and actually there was a 40% reduction between January and March in the number of people going from the NHS into care homes. Thankfully, we are now seeing a massive reduction, thanks to the efforts of care workers and our care home action programme, to get the numbers of deaths in care homes down to the levels we would expect to find this year.