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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2020 to Question 33719 on Supermarkets: Coronavirus, what steps he is taking to ensure supermarkets improve the accessibility of online shopping for (a) people with disabilities and (b) housebound people.

Supermarkets have been working at pace to expand the total number of delivery and click and collect slots and we are working with major retailers to ensure that they prioritise delivery slots for those who are most vulnerable and at risk. This means that we have shared with supermarkets the details of those who have registered as clinically vulnerable and needing to shield, and who need help accessing food. These details are then processed by supermarkets, who match these names against their own customer databases. They then offer people the option of priority access to online delivery.

We have also been working quickly to support vulnerable people who do not fall into the shielded definition. This includes all people who are unable to access food and other essential supplies due to a Covid-19 related change in physical and / or financial circumstance. Most supermarkets are offering prioritised delivery or click and collect slots to those they have identified as vulnerable from their customer database (for example by age, shopping habits, previous use of vulnerable customer helplines etc.). We are working closely with retailers and local authorities to stand up a service to allow local authorities to refer vulnerable people to supermarkets for a priority delivery or click and collect slot.

We are also working with a range of suppliers to make available an increased range of food packages that can be ordered online or over the phone.