Supermarkets: Coronavirus

(asked on 20th April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) key workers and (b) vulnerable people who are self-isolating are given priority access to supermarket delivery slots online during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 28th April 2020

The Government has put in place measures to ensure that those identified by the NHS as being extremely clinically vulnerable and who are without a support network of friends and family receive basic food and essential supplies. We have passed the data of these individuals (in line with data protection regulations) to supermarkets, who are placing these customers at the front of the queue for online delivery slots. Currently, customers must be registered with a supermarket to be prioritised in this way, but we are working with supermarkets to agree a process to allocate customers who are not registered for support.

We are working quickly to support people who do not fall into the category of being clinically vulnerable, but still need help getting essential food supplies. We are working with industry, charities, other Government departments and Devolved Administrations to ensure whatever support is needed is delivered in a coordinated and consistent manner. We welcome measures that supermarkets have put in place to support the elderly and other vulnerable groups, including prioritising them for online delivery slots.

Many people are already being well supported by their friends, families, neighbours and local communities. We are working with retailers and the voluntary sector to ensure that people are supported to shop for others safely.

Most supermarkets offer protected in-store shopping hours for key workers, including NHS staff and care workers, the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

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