Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to section 1.20 of his Department's Guidance for landlords and tenants, updated on 21 September 2020, when he plans to issue guidance to bailiffs to clarify that no enforcement of possession orders should proceed where local measures are in place to protect public health.

The Government is clear that evictions should not be carried out in areas that are subject to a local lockdown that includes a restriction on gatherings in homes. This position has been set out in HMCTS’s operational guidance for County Court bailiffs and the High Court Enforcement Officers’ Association has confirmed to the Lord Chancellor that its members will also adhere to this approach.