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 effect of face coverings on accessibility for people who are deaf or have hearing loss.
We know that face coverings can cause significant communication challenges for those who rely on lip-reading, facial expressions or clear and unmuffled sounds such as people who are deaf or have hearing loss.
We are engaging with disability organisations to assess the impact of requirements to wear face coverings. We are working across Government to identify what reasonable adjustments can be made for disabled people.