Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will reconsider the covid-19 quarantine restrictions for (a) seafarers and (b) people working in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All exemptions to the border measures are kept under regular review. The Government has introduced an exemption to managed quarantine for seamen and masters and inspectors and surveyors of ships. Offshore oil and gas workers must quarantine, but they can leave their accommodation when conducting the specific exempt activity or travelling directly to and from their accommodation and a location for the purposes of this work.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to introduce mandatory covid-19 vaccinations for NHS workers.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
There are currently no plans to introduce mandatory vaccinations for National Health Service staff, with uptake estimated to be around 85% amongst NHS trust healthcare workers in the latest data published by NHS England.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising all people with a learning disability for the covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
On 24 February 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published a clarification of their advice on vaccinating people with a learning disability. They confirmed their view that priority should be given to those with a severe and profound learning disability and supported a practical approach of inviting everyone on the general practice Learning Disability Register for vaccination in cohort six.
The JCVI also supported the planned approach to work with local authorities to identify those in residential and nursing care and those who required support, for example as part of assisted living in the community and those in shared accommodation with multiple occupancy, to ensure this population could be offered vaccination.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will add funeral directors to the covid-19 vaccine priority list.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Funeral operatives have been prioritised for vaccination in cohort two and staff will be eligible for prioritisation if they carry out functions which require them to have contact with multiple patients particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will take steps to ensure that childminders have access to covid-19 home testing kits.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the expansion of asymptomatic testing, childminders can order self-test kits to their home through the online ordering service and can collect self-test kits from NHS Test and Trace test sites around the country, as well as from community collection sites where these are being established by local authorities. Individuals can check if asymptomatic testing is offered in their local area at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/find-covid-19-lateral-flow-test-site
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government is planning to introduce a second confirmatory PCR test before defining a positive covid-19 test result as a case as recommended by the WHO guidelines published on 20 January 2021.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The guidelines published by the World Health Organization were referring to ‘weak positives’ or positive at the limit of detection. In the community, a repeat sample would be requested and self-isolation advised pending the results of the second sample. The majority of positives are clear positives and there is no need for second test confirmation.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions the Government has had with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on including unpaid carers in its priority list for the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consists of independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI has advised that the vaccine should be given to care home residents and staff, followed by people over 80 years old and health and social care workers.
We recognise the vital role unpaid carers play in caring for vulnerable individuals. JCVI recommends that carers who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill, should also be offered vaccination alongside people with underlying health conditions.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will review its policy on children under 12 meeting outdoors during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Under the current restrictions, you cannot leave home for recreational or leisure purposes. It is against the law for anyone, including children under 12 years old, to meet socially with friends outdoors unless they are part of the same household or a support bubble.
The Government keeps its restrictions under continual review and will make changes if the data and science supports it.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding is available for English students studying nursing at a university in Scotland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
English domiciled students studying nursing in Scotland can receive maintenance loans and tuition fee loans from Student Finance England to contribute to their costs of study, subject to meeting the eligibility requirements.
The National Health Service learning support fund, including the new non-repayable training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year, however, is available only to students studying at English universities.
Decisions about the NHS workforce in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, including the funding that they provide for students, are a matter for the devolved administrations of those countries.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for a follow up test for people testing positive for covid-19 in PCR tests in Pillar 2 settings.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
For standard PCR tests for symptomatic people, there is no need or requirement to have a follow up test.