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 compatibility of the Prime Minister's statement of 16 March 2020 that pregnant women should avoid unnecessary social contact and the Government's policy not to compel employers to furlough pregnant employees; and what steps he is taking to protect the health of pregnant women during the covid-10 outbreak.

COVID-19 is a new disease and we are continually reviewing the emerging scientific evidence.

Due to a lack of evidence around how COVID-19 may affect pregnant women, we, as a precaution, encourage pregnant women to carefully follow social distancing advice and to have an individual discussion with their employers about their working arrangements.

We have discussed, and will continue to discuss, the evidence around COVID-19 and pregnancy with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other experts.

We recognise that it is important for women to consider their own individual circumstances with their obstetrician or midwife and with their employer in terms of safely managing their pregnancy and work environment.