Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether cleaning staff working in hospitals and other healthcare settings are eligible for the death in service benefit announced on 27 April 2020.

The Government is in the process of setting up a life assurance scheme for frontline health and social care staff in England who contract COVID-19 during the course of their work.

The scheme is non-contributory and pays a £60,000 lump sum where staff die as a result of COVID-19 and had been recently working in frontline roles and locations where personal care is provided to individuals who have recently contracted COVID-19. The scheme is also available to staff whose duties require them to be present in a frontline National Health Service or social care setting where COVID-19 is present including cleaning staff.

The scheme covers all frontline staff who are employed by a statutory NHS organisation, or who work for organisations that support the delivery of NHS services or who work on an NHS contract.