Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Scotland Office:
What steps the Government is taking to help students attending Scottish universities to study and work overseas.
Answered by Iain Stewart
We have introduced the Turing Scheme, a UK-wide programme that will support students who wish to take up opportunities for education and training in over 150 destinations around the world. Scottish universities are on course to receive more than £8.2 million support under the scheme.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the prospect of reaching herd immunity against covid-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England has not made an estimate of when herd immunity to COVID-19 will be reached in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria he plans to use to determine (a) whether to implement a booster covid-19 vaccination programme in autumn 2021 and (b) which population groups that programme should cover.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published interim advice on a potential COVID-19 booster vaccination programme on 30th June 2021 which can be found at the following link:
The JCVI’s interim advice is that COVID-19 boosters should first be offered to the most vulnerable. The JCVI advises a two-staged approach, with individuals in Stage 1 offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine as well as a flu vaccine, as soon as possible from September 2021 and individuals in Stage 2 offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine as soon as practicable after Stage 1, with equal emphasis on deployment of the flu vaccine where eligible.
It is important to note that this is interim advice to inform planning and this advice may be subject to change before being finalised. Final decisions on the timing and scope and cohort eligibility, including the groups listed above, of any COVID-19 vaccine booster programme will be confirmed once the JCVI have provided their final advice, alongside considerations related to COVID-19 vaccine supply.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Question 27052 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Forest Dean on 5 July 2021, for what reason it has not been possible to provide an Answer by the named day of 8 July 2021; and by which date he plans to provide a substantive Answer to that Question.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer of 22 July to Question 27052.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason it was not possible to answer Question 28127 tabled by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on the named day of 12 July 2021; and when he plans to provide a substantive response to that question.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer of 20 July to Question 28127.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon Member for West Suffolk, declared to his Department a personal interest relating to Gina Coladangelo, a non-executive director on the Departmental Board until 26 June 2021, in the period from 1 January 2019 to 26 June 2021.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Rt. hon Matt Hancock MP) declared his interests to the Department in line with the Ministerial Code.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the guidance contained on the gov.uk webpages entitled Working safely during coronavirus (Covid-19): guidance from step 4 is legally binding in respect of (a) businesses’ insurance policies and (b) health and safety duties.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Working Safely guidance does not supersede businesses’ existing legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment and equalities duties. It is important that businesses continue to comply with existing obligations. Businesses have a legal duty to manage risks to those affected by their business. The way to do this is to carry out a health and safety risk assessment, including the risk of Covid-19, and to take reasonable steps to mitigate the risks identified. In order to help businesses conduct their risk assessment, the ‘Working Safely’ guidance provides advice on sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff and customers.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2021 to Question 28995 on Ministers: Conduct, whether he (a) consulted the Cabinet Secretary on and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of further investigation into the matters which led to the resignation of the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 26 June 2021.
Answered by Boris Johnson
I refer my Rt Hon Friend to my previous answer. Paragraph 1.4 of the Ministerial Code sets out the process for investigating alleged breaches of the Code.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 25 of Covid-19 Response: Summer 2021, for how long his Department plans to continue regular asymptomatic covid-19 testing for (a) the public, (b) children at school, (c) students at university or college and (d) employees in workplaces.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Test, Trace and Isolate has an important ongoing role in managing the virus and reduces the risk of potentially dangerous variants spreading. It continues to be important that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 arranges to have a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and that they stay at home while they are waiting for a home test kit, a test site appointment or a test result.
We continue to recommend twice-weekly asymptomatic testing. Testing remains freely available to all through pharmacies and online at GOV.UK. However, we are stopping free testing offered through workplaces as planned on the 31 July 2021. Asymptomatic testing will continue for education settings open over the summer, including summer schools and wraparound care. On the return to school and college in the autumn term, pupils will take two tests onsite before continuing with twice weekly asymptomatic testing until the end of September, when the position will be reviewed. Asymptomatic testing in vulnerable and higher-risk settings, such as the National Health Service, social care and prisons, will continue until further notice.
Asked by: Mark Harper (Conservative - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 18 of Covid-19 response: summer 2021, what his policy is on guidance to the civil service on working from home or returning to the office.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Prime Minister has set out the arrangements that will be in place in England once we move to Step Four of the Government roadmap. It will no longer be necessary for the government to instruct people to work from home and so employers, including the Civil Service, will be able to support the safe return to the workplace. The safe return of more civil servants to the workplace will be enacted by departments in line with updated Safer Working guidance from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and guidance from the Health and Safety Executive. This includes guidance for ventilation.