Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the scientific evidence used to support the decision to extend covid-19 lockdown restrictions to places of worship and religious gatherings.

We have had to make some tough decisions to fight this deadly virus and the decision to close our places of worship has not been taken lightly.

In all decisions we have been guided by scientific and medical advice and we have listened carefully to the views of the scientific community, in particular the information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and its sub-groups. The R-Rate is above 1 across England, therefore we must limit our interaction with others.

This has sadly meant that we have had to close a broad range of premises where people interact and gather, including places of worship.