Parliament
279 mentions of the inquiry in Parliament: debates, written questions and statements, oral questions and early day motions, from Hansard.
Covid-19 Update
On 21 February 2022, the Government published the guidance, COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19, which set out a plan to live with COVID-19, while protecting people at higher risk of serious illness. In March 2023, the Government announced further changes towards managing COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses. New changes from 1 April 2024 are the next stage in delivering this approach.The latest changes are an important milestone in our journey to living with COVID-19. After several ...
On 21 February 2022, the Government published the guidance, COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19, which set out a plan to live with COVID-19, while protecting people at higher risk of serious illness. In March 2023, the Government announced further changes towards managing COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses. New changes from 1 April 2024 are the next stage in delivering this approach.
The latest changes are an important milestone in our journey to living with COVID-19. After several years of dedicated resources and focus, COVID-19 is now recognised as an established and ongoing health issue in the UK and the approach to managing it will now be even further aligned with other established respiratory pathogens. Protecting people at higher risk remains the Government’s priority.
Vaccines for those at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 remain central to the Government’s approach. Last autumn’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign saw over 70% of all people aged over 65 years living in England receive a COVID-19 booster. In care homes, over 80% of residents received a booster, providing vital protection over the winter months. Today, due to a combination of immunity acquired from natural infection or vaccination, COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for the vast majority of people.
This spring, a COVID-19 vaccine will again be offered to those most at risk of serious illness, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The NHS will also offer more people access to COVID-19 treatments, expanding the eligible cohort from the existing 3.9 million people to an additional 1.4 million people at highest risk of severe illness.
The continued effectiveness of vaccines and treatments to protect people at high risk means that we can transition to an approach where COVID-19 is managed in line with other respiratory illnesses, such as flu. From 1 April 2024, changes will be made to COVID-19 testing to align with other respiratory infectious diseases.
Testing from 1 April 2024
While the virus causing COVID-19 continues to evolve, new variants have not required a return to large-scale public testing. Given the high levels of vaccination among groups at higher risk, wider access to treatments and reduced impact of outbreaks, the Government is now able to remove some of the highly targeted testing which remains in place from the height of the pandemic.
From 1 April 2024, routine provision of free COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests for the management of outbreaks in higher risk settings will come to an end in England. However, free testing to determine the cause of an acute respiratory infection outbreak, where deemed appropriate by a local UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Health Protection Team, in higher risk settings will remain to test for a wide range of respiratory viruses.
Routine asymptomatic COVID-19 LFD testing on discharge from hospital into care or hospice settings will also end to align with the approach for other respiratory illnesses, though NHS Trusts will have local discretion to re-introduce this or other forms of testing as clinically appropriate following risk assessment, involving Local Authority Public Health Teams, UKHSA Health Protection Teams and care providers as necessary in decision making.
Acute health providers should have trusted processes in place with local care home and hospice providers to facilitate safe discharges, as set out in the hospital discharge and community support guidance. Together with the care home or hospice, hospitals should assess the risk in the period before planned discharge, seeking advice on proposed changes to testing arrangements from Local Authority public Health Teams or UKHSA Health Protection Teams if needed.
Care providers and hospices will also continue to have the ability to discuss and raise any concerns about discharge arrangements through existing local mechanisms. Where a care provider or hospice is providing services commissioned by a local authority or the NHS and has concerns about a planned discharge that cannot be resolved with the acute hospital provider, this includes the ability to contact the relevant commissioner.
Limited testing, including symptomatic testing of staff working on inpatient wards focussed on treating profoundly immunocompromised individuals, will continue in line with locally derived protocols to protect those most at risk. Symptomatic testing of patient-facing hospice staff who work closely with people who are at high risk from severe outcomes if suffering from COVID-19 will also continue as outlined in guidance, in line with similar NHS settings.
The cohort of people eligible for COVID-19 treatments can continue to access free COVID-19 LFDs from their local pharmacy. These people, who are at highest risk of becoming seriously ill, are encouraged to test to gain timely access to treatments. A full list of those who are eligible, and information on how to access tests, is available on the NHS website.
Guidance on a range of infection prevention and control measures in Adult Social Care has now been combined with acute respiratory infection guidance and has been updated to reflect these changes. This guidance, as well as guidance for hospices and other non-clinical settings, has been updated to reflect the latest evidence and expert consensus. It is technical guidance to support settings in operationalising the changes to the services they are directly responsible for from 1 April 2024.
Guidance published on 1 April 2022 for individuals in the community with symptoms of COVID-19 or respiratory illness continues to set out the actions we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others.
The future approach to pandemic preparedness
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the public health and economic risks posed by pandemics. The Government is continuing to work closely with partners to reduce the impact of a future pandemic. Together, UKHSA and the Department of Health and Social Care are developing plans to prevent and/or respond efficiently and effectively in the event of a pandemic.
These plans will build on learning from COVID-19, and the findings of the COVID-19 Inquiry, once published. The exact nature of a future pandemic may vary, and so preparedness is considering all modes of transmission and tackling ‘Disease X’ in readiness for unknown future threats.
The Government has already taken steps to prepare and develop capacity to respond, including through the Moderna-UK Strategic Partnership and the Vaccines Development and Evaluation Centre. Through UKHSA, we retain strong surveillance systems, world-leading genomic sequencing capabilities, and stronger baseline data and analysis functions that will help detect and characterise pandemic threats.
Read full answer →Women Against Pit Closures
That this House commends Women Against Pit Closures on the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike for their fortitude, resilience and solidarity during the 1984-85 strike and beyond; believes that the 1984-85 strike would not have lasted as long without the support of women; notes that women’s groups, like those in the North East of England, were feeding up to 1000 people a day, five days a week, as well as providing assistance with household bills; further notes that women’s groups provided ...
Update on UK COVID-19 Inquiry response costs
The Minister of State, Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, on 9 February 2024, made the following statement:Throughout the pandemic, the Government acted to save lives and livelihoods, prevent the NHS being overwhelmed, and deliver a world-leading vaccine rollout which protected the nation. In establishing the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, the Government recognised the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions ...
The Minister of State, Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, on 9 February 2024, made the following statement:
Throughout the pandemic, the Government acted to save lives and livelihoods, prevent the NHS being overwhelmed, and deliver a world-leading vaccine rollout which protected the nation. In establishing the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, the Government recognised the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future.
As such, the Inquiry is unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.
Following the publication by the COVID-19 Inquiry of its costs for Quarter 3 of the 2023/24 financial year on 5 February 2024, I would like to update Parliament on the UK Government costs associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.
The figures provided below include input from a number of government departments, including the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department (GLD).
The figures we are publishing reflect those that the Inquiry publishes (Legal Counsel and Solicitors Costs, and Secretariat staff costs). The figures are based upon a sample of departmental costs, and are not a precise figure for accounting purposes and are therefore subject to change. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.
Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs (April - December 2023)
Inquiry response units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and counsel. Associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for April - December 2023 are below.
Total legal costs: £20,900,000
Breakdown of Staff & Costs (April - December 2023)
The Government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments.
Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 249 Full Time Equivalents (as of Q3)
Cost of Inquiry Response Unit staff: £12,900,000
It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. The Senior Civil Servant staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses and associated policy development work on the Covid Inquiry are significant. Early estimations place these at at least £120,000 for Cabinet Office for preparatory work for Modules 1 and 2, but further work is underway to produce a more accurate figure. Those costs are not included in the figures above.
Read full answer →VAT and the hospitality sector
That this House recognises the continuing challenges facing the hospitality sector during the cost of living crisis; notes that the Government implemented a temporary cut of 5% on VAT for hospitality businesses during the pandemic; further notes that VAT is not devolved and can therefore only be set by the UK Government; notes that the UK is an outlier for having a higher rate of VAT for the hospitality sector compared to other European economies; further notes that organisations such as the ...
Minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visa
That this House notes with concern that increasing the skilled worker visa salary thresholds for chefs to £38,700 will have a detrimental impact on the hospitality industry and local economy of rural tourist destinations on top of the lasting effects of covid-19; and calls on the Government to ensure that any salary threshold increase for chefs reflects the needs of the rural tourism economy.
School Meals Coalition
That this House welcomes the creation of the School Meals Coalition; notes the Coalition is a partnership of 96 countries, with responsibility for over 60 percent of the world’s population, spanning the full range of geographies and across high, middle and low-income countries; congratulates the Coalition in supporting the reinstatement of school meals programmes following the closure of schools as a result of covid-19; further welcomes the fact that in 2022, 418 million children benefited fr...
Disease Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on future pandemic preparedness planning of the report entitled Covid Shielding Voices published by the Centre for Epidemiology, Versus Arthritis: University of Manchester in October 2023.
We cannot perfectly predict the characteristics of a future pandemic or know precisely which groups will be most affected by it, and we are therefore strengthening our pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system may need to respond to. We continue to review our pandemic planning, in close collaboration with system partners including the UK Health Security Agency, in response to new information and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks. We continue to draw on a wide range of evidence, both from government research organisations and expert committees, as well as the wider research community
We understand that Versus Arthritis has submitted the recommendations of the Covid Shielding Voices report to the United Kingdom COVID-19 Inquiry. We are committed to learning from the Inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the Government’s planning and preparations for the future.
Read full answer →Disease Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with the UK Health Security Agency on the adequacy of NHS preparedness for rapidly producing a shielded patient list in the event of a pandemic.
We cannot perfectly predict the characteristics of a future pandemic or know precisely which groups will be most affected by it, and we are therefore strengthening our pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system may need to respond to. We continue to review our pandemic planning, in close collaboration with system partners including the UK Health Security Agency, in response to new information and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks. We continue to draw on a wide range of evidence, both from government research organisations and expert committees, as well as the wider research community
We understand that Versus Arthritis has submitted the recommendations of the Covid Shielding Voices report to the United Kingdom COVID-19 Inquiry. We are committed to learning from the Inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the Government’s planning and preparations for the future.
Read full answer →Disease Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to consult people who shielded during the covid-19 pandemic on the preparation of pandemic preparedness plans.
We cannot perfectly predict the characteristics of a future pandemic or know precisely which groups will be most affected by it, and we are therefore strengthening our pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system may need to respond to. We continue to review our pandemic planning, in close collaboration with system partners including the UK Health Security Agency, in response to new information and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks. We continue to draw on a wide range of evidence, both from government research organisations and expert committees, as well as the wider research community
We understand that Versus Arthritis has submitted the recommendations of the Covid Shielding Voices report to the United Kingdom COVID-19 Inquiry. We are committed to learning from the Inquiry’s findings, which will play a key role in informing the Government’s planning and preparations for the future.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry: Expenditure
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on the case of Cabinet Office v Chair of Covid Inquiry, [2023] EWHC 1702 (Admin).
This judicial review was brought to seek clarification on a point of law and we were pleased that the Court agreed that there was an important legal question to consider. It acknowledged our concerns over respecting the privacy of individuals and ensuring that irrelevant information is returned and not retained by the Inquiry.
The total legal costs for the case of the Cabinet Office v Chair of the COVID-19 Inquiry were £192,739.
We have fully cooperated with, and continue to cooperate with, the Inquiry having provided over 56,000 documents to the Inquiry so far.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry: Cost Effectiveness
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's publication entitled UK Covid-19 Inquiry Management Statement, published in August 2022, what steps he is taking to ensure the Covid-19 public inquiry represents overall value for money.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry.
In line with the UK Covid-19 Management Statement, the Inquiry’s Accounting Officer must conform to value for money and good financial management requirements and must provide financial updates to the Cabinet Office as its sponsor department.
The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work and she has been clear that she intends to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Inquiry publishes regular financial updates, the latest from November 2023 can be found at the link here: https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/uk-covid-19-inquiry-financial-report-for-quarter-2-2023-24/. The total expenditure for the financial year to 31 March 2023 was £22.4m.
Read full answer →Paxlovid and clinically vulnerable patients
That this House calls on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to reject the request from NHS England to delay the roll-out of Covid antiviral treatment Paxlovid; further calls for the additional funds and resources necessary to be provided to NHS England to ensure this treatment reaches all recommended patients this winter; notes with grave concern that a 12 month delay would deny treatment to an estimated 10 million patients at high and moderate risk of hospitalisation and death...
Review of the charity lottery annual sales cap
That this House acknowledges the incredible amount of money raised by charity lotteries in the UK, including Scottish-based People’s Postcode Lottery, whose players have raised a phenomenal £1.2 billion for good causes across the country; notes that the demand for funding from charities has greatly increased amid the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic; believes that the current £50 million cap on annual charity lottery sales serves no purpose and is affecting the...
Rosemary Potter, Chair of Kirkcaldy’s Old Kirk Trust, Custodian, Steward and Keeper of History
That this House commends Rosemary Potter, Chair of Kirkcaldy’s Old Kirk Trust for her faith, dedication and passionate determination to preserve and enhance the Old Kirk’s role as a concert hall, community resource, heritage centre and continuing place of worship; celebrates the many successful exhibitions, tours, workshops and worship events hosted by the Trust for the benefit of the local community; congratulates the Trust on its successful five-year fundraising mission to preserve the Old ...
25th anniversary of the Multi-Cultural Family Base
That this House congratulates the Multi-Cultural Family Base (MCFB) on reaching its 25th anniversary; notes that the charity, founded in Edinburgh in 1998, provides a range of valued services to children, young people, and their families, most of whom are from black and minority ethnic communities and are often new migrants; recognises that MCFB provides assistance with practical issues, such as housing or financial problems, as well as more personal issues, such as dealing with discriminatio...
University duty of care
That this House calls for higher education institutions to have a statutory duty of care for their students; deeply regrets the tragic consequences of past failures to recognise when students have experienced significant challenges to their mental health and the subsequent impacts on their family and friends; particularly regrets instances where universities have failed to inform families of students’ struggles, including acts of self harm, even when given express consent to share that inform...
New Lanark grant
That this House congratulates New Lanark Trust on their award of £2.3 million funding to ensure the future of the New Lanark UNESCO World Heritage site; understands that the funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund’s Covid-19 Response Fund will allow New Lanark Trust to undertake maintenance on a number of the Category A listed buildings on the site, which have been delayed because of the pandemic; acknowledges that New Lanark was founded as a cotton-spinning village in 1785 by David ...
Conduct of London Assembly Member Shaun Bailey
That this House expresses deep concern over the inclusion of London Assembly Member Shaun Bailey on the list of proposed peerages by the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson; notes that a party organised by Assembly Member Bailey’s mayoral campaign team is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police once again for allegedly breaching covid-19 regulations in December 2020; further regrets that an individual currently under police investigation is being given a seat in the nation’s legislatur...
Covid-19 Inquiry: Judicial Review
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost of the application for judicial review of the UK covid-19 inquiry.
We do not yet have a figure for the costs incurred. We brought this judicial review to seek clarification on a point of law and we are pleased that the Court agreed that there was an important legal question to consider.
It acknowledged our concerns over respecting the privacy of individuals and ensuring that completely irrelevant information is returned and not retained.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps the Government has taken to engage with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
The Government is fully committed to constructive engagement with the Covid-19 Inquiry and has been since its establishment.
Government officials and lawyers meet with the Inquiry on a regular basis, both as part of a regular series of meetings and on an ad hoc basis to discuss specific issues. We have disclosed over 55,000 documents to the Inquiry to date.
Read full answer →Coronavirus: Inquiries
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) outcomes and (b) lessons learned from the covid-19 inquiries in other countries.
The Department is building on the valuable lessons to be learnt from COVID-19 to inform our preparedness for future pandemics and will review the lessons learnt reports from other countries with interest and ensure any relevant lessons are factored into o...
Read full answer →Industrial dispute at Allied Bakeries in Liverpool
That this House expresses support and solidarity to members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union taking industrial action over pay at Allied Bakeries' Liverpool site; applauds the contribution made by these key workers throughout the period of the covid-19 pandemic; regrets that these workers have experienced a continued real-terms cut in their levels of pay with wages failing to meet the costs resulting from soaring inflation; draws attention to the findings of a recent Bakers, Food ...
Measures to enable immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients to live with covid-19
That this House regrets the continued failure of Government to protect people who have moderate to severe immune compromise from covid-19 infection, by failing to make Evusheld available on the NHS when it was at its most effective against covid strains; notes with alarm the disbandment of the Enhanced Protection Programme, Covid-19 Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce, ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey and the closure of Covid Medicine Delivery Units since 31 March 2023; deeply regrets that pat...