Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people still required to shield can access (a) in person and (b) other essential health services.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The COVID-19 shielding programme for people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable was formally ended by the government in September 2021. The decision to end the programme was based on there being more information available on the virus and what makes individuals more or less vulnerable, the success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the emergence of effective treatments for the disease

However, because a smaller number of immunosuppressed people may remain at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, despite vaccination, the Government has put in place a range of enhanced protection measures including treatments, booster vaccines, free lateral flow tests and public health advice for these individuals on keeping themselves safe. More information can be found in COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk, updated on 13 November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of COVID-19 cases.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Based on the latest scientific evidence, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a COVID-19 vaccination for those at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. This includes all adults aged 65 years old and over and those aged six months old and over with specified underlying health conditions.

The National Health Service COVID-19 vaccination programme provides vital protection to those eligible, keeping people from developing serious illness, and helping to minimise hospitalisations during busy winter months. This year’s autumn COVID-19 vaccine programme started on 11 September 2023 in England as a precautionary measure following the identification a new COVID-19 variant called BA 2.86. As of 30 November 2023, over 11.2 million autumn vaccinations for COVID-19 have been administered since start of the autumn campaign. The programme has seen a fast rollout of COVID-19 vaccination to care home residents.

Additionally, on 1 November 2023, the Get Winter Strong campaign was launched urging those eligible who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to ‘get winter strong’ and join the millions of others in taking up the offer ahead of the festive and new year season.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to issue updated public health advice to reduce the infection rate of covid-19 variants.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is issuing proportionate reminders of its COVID-19 advice through media, social media and stakeholder channels. There is currently no change to the wider public health or sector specific guidance, including guidance for workplaces, prisons and adult social care settings, which is published on GOV.UK and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance

For immunosuppressed people we have published updated guidance in line with the recent announcement about bringing forward this year’s autumn flu and COVID-19 vaccine programme. This guidance is published on GOV.UK, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

We continue to review our guidance as information about COVID-19 variants becomes available.

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 adequacy of the extent of water testing for Covid in the last 12 months.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Wastewater monitoring for COVID-19 and its variants was stood down in April 2022 in response to the Government policy change to Living with COVID-19. Therefore, in England, there has been no wastewater testing for COVID-19 within the last 12 months. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own programmes, run independently of the approach in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on immunocompromised people arising from (1) shutting down the Anti-Viral task force, (2) ending any stakeholder engagement through the Enhanced Protection Programme, (3) withdrawing vaccine boosters for the families of the immunocompromised, (4) ending the collection of data on Covid infections via the Office for National Statistics, and (5) ending access to anti-virals through the Covid Medicines Delivery Units and transferring this to GPs; and what steps they are taking to enhance the protection of the clinically vulnerable community from COVID-19.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Those that remain at higher risk from COVID-19 remain a priority for the Government and continue to be offered enhanced protections such as treatments, booster vaccines, free lateral flow tests and public health advice.

Functions of the Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce (ATTF) have now moved to different parts of the Department and the National Health Service. The NHS will continue to deliver treatment for COVID-19 patients and will operate in line with evidence-based recommendations from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, following the established processes in this area.

Following the closure of the enhanced protection programme stakeholder forum, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recognises the importance of continuing to engage with patient charities and other stakeholders, and further information on continuing stakeholder engagement will be shared in due course.

On 27 January 2023 the Government accepted Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) interim advice that there could be a further booster programme in autumn 2023 for those at higher risk of severe COVID-19 in preparation for winter 2023 to 2024. JCVI will continue its rolling review of the vaccination programme and will provide further advice on which groups including carers and family members of immunosuppressed individuals should be included in the autumn 2023 COVID-19 vaccination programme in due course.

The approach to COVID-19 surveillance is being actively reviewed to ensure it is proportionate, cost effective and considered alongside how we monitor a range of other infectious diseases that present a similar threat.

The UKHSA will continue to publish regular reports on COVID-19 which will contribute to our situational awareness. These include our weekly surveillance reports, which provide data on infection rates and hospitalisation numbers. We also maintain the ability to track the latest variants through our genomics capabilities which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the continued delivery of COVID-19 treatments, including where appropriate transitioning the delivery of community-based COVID-19 treatments away from covid medicines delivery unit to routine care pathways by the end of June. ICBs have the flexibility to create a routine patient access pathway that best meets local needs and circumstances, including for immunocompromised patients.

NHS England is working closely with local health systems, supporting ICBs to develop service delivery plans which ensure continued timely access to assessment and treatment that meet the needs of their local populations. To support the transition away from pandemic-specific arrangements NHS England is regularly engaging with charities, patient groups and other stakeholders to understand where national and local action may be required to ensure transition readiness.

NHS England is providing national communications to patients, healthcare professionals and local system leaders to ensure clarity on upcoming changes.

Highest risk patients will continue to have access to free tests, however the way patients will access tests may change later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost to the economy to date of COVID-19-related lockdowns.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the UK economy. Between 2019 Q4 and 2020 Q2, according to the Office for National Statistics the economy contracted by 23% - the steepest recession on record.

The success of the UK’s vaccination campaign lead to a strong recovery in GDP, with annual growth of 7.5% in 2021 and 4.1% in 2022. In both these years, GDP growth in the UK was the fastest in the G7.

The Government acted quickly to prevent catastrophic increases in unemployment during the pandemic. The Government provided up to £400 billion of direct support for the economy which helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK.

The Treasury is engaging constructively with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which plans to examine the Government’s responses to the pandemic.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Walsall and (b) England and Wales tested positive for covid-19 in (i) October 2022, (ii) January 2023 and (iii) the most recent 30-day period for which figures are available.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

To provide more accurate data on COVID-19 infections and avoid double counting cases, if a person tests positive multiple times within a certain time period, these are all counted as a single case of COVID-19. In England this period is 90 days, and in Wales 42 days.

For Walsall, in October 2022 there were 952 cases of COVID-19 detected. In January 2023 there were 468 cases of COVID-19 detected. In the 30-day period between 14 March 2023 and 12 April 2023 there were 404 new cases of COVID-19 detected.

For England and Wales, in October 2022 there were 217,044 cases of COVID-19 detected. In January 2023 there were 83,659 new cases of COVID-19 detected. In the 30-day period between 14 March 2023 and 12 April 2023 there were 92,736 new cases of COVID-19 detected.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation that family members of, and carers for, people in the clinical risk groups are not recommended to receive COVID-19 booster vaccinations, what steps they are taking to protect people in clinical risk groups from contracting COVID-19.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement titled ‘Approach to Managing Covid-19’ on 30 March 2023, in 2023/24 the Government will maintain a range of capabilities to protect those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Given the continued effectiveness of vaccines and improved treatments, for most people there is a much lower risk of severe illness compared to earlier in the pandemic.

We will therefore continue to encourage people to take up the vaccines to which they are entitled, and we will continue to fund and provide COVID-19 testing, to manage outbreaks in some high-risk settings and to enable access to treatments for those who are eligible. We will also maintain essential COVID-19 surveillance activities in the community, primary and secondary care, and in high-risk settings. Additionally, we will retain proportionate capability for testing in the event of a COVID-19 wave or variant that results in a significant increase in pressure on the National Health Service.

Vaccination does not significantly limit transmission, so there is no strong reason to prioritise vaccination for carers of those who are at high risk of severe illness.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on the pause to the Covid-19 Infection Survey; what assessment he has made of the potential impact on his Department’s ability to ensure that policy across the Government on Covid-19 is driven by the latest data; how Covid-19 infection levels will now be monitored; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision on immunosuppressed people who rely on the survey to take decisions on which safeguards to use.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are reviewing their approach to COVID-19 surveillance, which includes discussions between UKHSA and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The UKHSA will continue to publish the latest data on COVID-19 through the weekly surveillance reports providing data on infection rates, hospitalisation numbers and vaccination uptake. We will maintain the ability to track the latest variants through our genomics capabilities, which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus. These reports help inform current and future Government policy decisions.

UKHSA will confirm details of any new surveillance surveys that continue beyond 31 March 2023 in due course.

We will continue to communicate to people most vulnerable to COVID-19 about available clinical interventions, including vaccination and treatments, as well as testing and public health advice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor covid-19 (a) prevalence and (b) mutations, in the context of the suspension of the covid-19 infection survey.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will continue to monitor COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 remains notifiable to UKHSA for all laboratories in England performing a primary diagnostic role. Laboratory reporting of SARS-CoV-2 cases will include any cases identified through testing in hospital undertaken to inform the clinical care of symptomatic patients. This will inform assessments such as positivity.

Within the community and primary care, real-time syndromic surveillance will continue via general practices. These systems will inform measures such as the incidence of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population.

UKHSA’s COVID-19 surveillance work is published in weekly regular reports and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2022-to-2023-season

UKHSA undertakes regular horizon scanning of all available SARS-CoV-2 genomic data for potentially significant mutations or combinations of mutations. This includes global data uploaded to international repositories, as well as all data generated from United Kingdom samples. In the absence of the COVID-19 Infection Survey, the UK data component may include samples from hospitals, adult social care, and some research studies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of pausing data collection for the covid-19 infection survey on pandemic preparedness.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The UK Health Security Agency will continue to publish regular reports on COVID-19 which will contribute to our pandemic preparedness. These include our weekly surveillance reports, which provide data on infection rates, hospitalisation numbers and vaccination uptake. We also maintain the ability to track the latest variants through our genomics capabilities which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus.

The approach to COVID-19 surveillance is being actively reviewed to ensure it is proportionate, cost effective and considered alongside how we monitor a range of other infectious diseases that present a similar threat.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for resuming data collection for the covid-19 infection survey.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The COVID-19 Infection Survey data collection was paused on 24 March. Final insights from this data are available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/24march2023

The approach to COVID-19 surveillance is being actively reviewed to ensure it is proportionate, cost effective and considered alongside how we monitor a range of other infectious diseases that present a similar threat.

We remain committed to monitoring the threat posed by COVID-19.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 14 February (HL5363), what data they are utilising (1) to monitor emerging COVID-19 variants, and (2) to assess their potential impact; and what specific surveillance arrangements are in place to assist this assessment.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes regular monitoring of United Kingdom and international SARS-CoV-2 genomic data to detect and characterise new variants. In the UK, this includes data from routine testing and surveillance studies, with variant evaluation currently based on data from multiple sources. UK genomics surveillance is primarily conducted through healthcare associated sites such as hospitals and Office for National Statistics community sampling, with international data being obtained from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data which includes genetic sequence and related clinical and epidemiological data.

The potential impact is considered first based on the relative fitness advantage (the lineage growth rate), national and international geographic dispersion, and/or mutation profile in relation to immune response or therapeutic efficacy, using genomic sequence data. Analysis is discussed at multidisciplinary expert meetings where further laboratory virology investigations can be triggered to add confidence to the risk assessment.

UKHSA is utilising strong surveillance capabilities, rooted in the highest-quality data systems, data architecture and analytics to anticipate, prepare for and respond to health risks, including emerging COVID-19 variants. UKHSA is currently working with the Department to consider next steps for the future of surveillance programmes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to discontinue the covid-19 dashboard.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The COVID-19 Dashboard has formed a critical part of the overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the value of making data on health threats publicly available. As we continue living with COVID-19, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is exploring options for building on this success by making additional data available to partners and the public on a wider range of threats to public health which reflect the breadth of UKHSA’s remit.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants who were issued fixed-penalty notices in relation to gatherings in Downing Street that broke the COVID-19 rules, are still working in any of the buildings in Downing Street.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government does not hold this information; this was an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police.

Notwithstanding, I would refer the noble peer to the report published by the Second Permanent Secretary of 25 May 2022, and the Government's response of 25 May 2022, Official Report, House of Commons, Cols. 295-297.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to review the COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 plan.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The Cabinet Office “COVID-19 Response; Living with COVID-19” publication in February 2022 set out how England would move into a new phase of managing COVID-19. The Cabinet Office has no plans at present to review the strategy.

The UK Health Security Agency publishes a number of guidance documents in relation to living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19. All guidance is kept under review to ensure our response remains effective.