Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 09 Feb 2022
Special Educational Needs and Children’s Mental Health Services
"I beg to move,
That this House has considered special educational needs and children’s mental health services.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairwomanship, Ms Fovargue. It is timely to be holding this debate in Children’s Mental Health Week. Today I want to focus on one aspect of …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 09 Feb 2022
Special Educational Needs and Children’s Mental Health Services
"I thank every Member and colleague who spoke in the debate, from five different political parties, revealing the power and privilege of being a Member of Parliament. We can represent the concerns of families at their most acute, with all the detail and desperation in the emails and letters that …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 04 Feb 2022
Down Syndrome Bill
"I begin, as others have, by congratulating my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) on this truly groundbreaking Bill. I will add a few reflections of my own, the first of which dovetails with his remarks on Second Reading.
Our understanding of and respect for people …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Nov 2021
Oral Answers to Questions
"5. What steps he is taking to reduce waiting lists for (a) children and adolescent mental health services and (b) other mental health services for young people. ..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Nov 2021
Oral Answers to Questions
"In West Berkshire, a family seeking a child and adolescent mental health services diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can face a waiting time of up to two years. The Berkshire West clinical commissioning group has recently made £1.6 million available to recruit extra staff, but …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 12 Jul 2021
Covid-19 Update
"A rate of 87% for first vaccinations is truly impressive, and it is in excess of all the estimates that I read about when the vaccination programme was first launched, but there is evidence of a worrying fall-off in people coming forward for their second vaccinations in London and the …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 06 Jul 2021
Covid-19 Update
"I welcome my right hon. Friend to his new post. I know that he will share the view of many of my constituents in west Berkshire that we must do all we can to avoid another national lockdown. In the event that vaccine efficacy should falter as we head into …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 17 May 2021
Covid-19 Update
"The success of the vaccination programme has surpassed expectations, in part because of the very effective work that was done in tackling vaccine hesitancy at the start, but it is implicit in my right hon. Friend’s statement that, in Bolton and Blackburn particularly, there has been less success with persuading …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 09 Feb 2021
Covid-19 Update
"I put on record my thanks to everybody working at Newbury racecourse for leading a fantastic vaccination programme for my constituency. I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement about very high rates of take-up of the vaccine. What has the take-up rate been among those under the age of 70 …..."Laura Farris - View Speech
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Written Question
Friday 5th February 2021
Asked by:
Laura Farris (Conservative - Newbury)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) allowing self-isolating individuals to visit family members in care homes who are suffering from isolation and (b) facilitating care home residents to visit covid-secure family homes.
Answered by Helen Whately
- Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
We recognise how important it is to allow care home residents to meet their loved ones safely, and appreciate the particular challenges visiting restrictions pose for people with dementia, learning disabilities and autistic adults, amongst others and their loved ones.
In the face of a new variant of the virus we have acted to protect those most at risk in care homes and ensure visits can go ahead safely in some form. As set out in national lockdown guidance, visits to care homes can continue to take place with arrangements such as outdoor visiting, substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not currently allowed. Visits in exceptional circumstances including end of life should always be supported and enabled.
We have also published guidance on visits out of care homes such as to the family home during this period of this national lockdown. People, including care home residents, must stay at home and must not gather indoors unless one of the specified exemptions apply. This means that a resident will not in general be able to meet another household indoors, for example, visiting their family in the family’s home.
We are keeping all our guidance under regular review, and will seek to provide further opportunities for families to visit and spend time together as it becomes safer to do so.