Public Health

Will the Secretary of State give way?

I will do so later.

In England, 10 people are confirmed to have been hospitalised with the ...

I understand the nuanced point that my right hon. Friend is making, but on the forecasts, does he...

Yes, I absolutely accept that point. With previous variants of covid, we have seen forecasts and ...

My right hon. Friend talks about hospitalisations and the danger they may cause to the NHS, but w...

Yes, I can confirm that to my right hon. Friend. First, he is absolutely right to make that point...

The Secretary of State is facing a lot of criticism from behind him, but he should be assured tha...

The hon. Gentleman may have heard earlier, when I started my remarks, that I talked about what I ...

I will give way one more time for now and then I will come back to other colleagues.

I am grateful, and I think my views on this are pretty well understood. Given the case the Secret...

That is a very fair question, as always from my hon. Friend. In the measures we are setting out, ...

I must make some progress, but I will take further interventions in a moment. I wish to talk abou...

Surely the whole point is that we cannot be complacent and assume that this likely huge increase ...

We all want to relax. I wish I was more relaxed now than I already am. My hon. Friend is absolute...

I appreciate that this is an escalating situation which needs urgent attention, but the fact is t...

It is of course important that we keep measures under review, but, for the reasons I gave earlier...

My right hon. Friend may be interested to learn that Dr Angelique Coetzee gave evidence to the Sc...

I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that with the House. I think it is important to hear that supp...

We are all, of course, concerned to hear that plan C measures are already being discussed, and I ...

What I can tell my right hon. Friend is that there are approximately 6,000 people in English hosp...

I really must press the Secretary of State on this issue, on behalf of workers in my constituency...

Where I agree with the hon. Gentleman is on the importance of using measures to support people. S...

I am extremely grateful to the Health Secretary for mentioning frontline NHS staff. The all-party...

First, I very much agree with the hon. Lady about the phenomenal work everyone in the NHS has bee...

I will take some interventions in a moment, but I want to just finish this section.

We are ...

The Secretary of State is absolutely right. I am overjoyed that boosters are the key to getting t...

My hon. Friend did raise that point yesterday. It is being looked at very urgently. I am sure he ...

I entirely agree with what my right hon. Friend said about the pressure on the NHS and the diffic...

That is a very fair question. I will say more about that in a moment, but I point my right hon. F...

Has the Secretary of State noticed, as I have, the view that omicron may have originated in Afric...

There is lots of speculation on how omicron may have originated. I will not add to that speculati...

rose—

Order. Just before the Secretary of State makes further progress, it is absolutely right that he ...

I shall indulge my hon. Friend the Member for North West Leicestershire (Andrew Bridgen) because ...

The Secretary of State knows that I have been short all my life. He said earlier that the average...

I am pleased that I took that intervention because I do not want people to think in the way my ho...

rose—

I do need to plough on, but I will take some interventions a bit later.

For the reasons tha...

Specifically on the regulations, given the regulation on refusal of entry, the small number of ve...

If my hon. Friend allows me, I will come to that point shortly.

I said a moment ago that we...

I thank the Secretary of State for being so generous in taking interventions. Does he agree that,...

As I said in response to an earlier question, in terms of getting vaccines to the developing worl...

I need to make some progress.

As I announced to the House yesterday, in the light of new da...

My right hon. Friend knows that I am completely against vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinati...

I can give my hon. Friend that confirmation and I am happy to make that really clear. It is vital...

In terms of providing proof of a negative lateral flow test, is that possible for someone who doe...

Lateral flow tests are available for everyone. The vast majority of people will have access to ph...

A vaccine passport with a lateral flow test alternative is still a vaccine passport. We have seen...

I will come to that specifically in a moment, but again I have to stress that this is not a vacci...

I must make some progress. I will take some interventions later.

The regulations—statutory ...

Many of my constituents have contacted me concerned that the measures today are the first step in...

I think that what I am about to say will give my hon. Friend that assurance. The plans will make ...

The Secretary of State is right that the regulations do not provide for vaccine passports. Conser...

The point about managed quarantine and those people who are already in it is important. I am told...

One of the things we know about omicron is the significant genetic mutations and changes that hav...

I think the hon. Gentleman will understand that when the Government make decisions on vaccines th...

Referring back to the point made by the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw), it is crazy t...

I am very persuaded by what my hon. Friend says. I would love to stand here right now and just sa...

The Secretary of State knows that I welcome that. The isolation regs that we passed two weeks ago...

My hon. Friend will understand that there has been a huge surge in demand for lateral flow tests,...

The Secretary of State is making some vital points about testing and self-isolation, but yesterda...

We are, as the hon. Lady would imagine, working very closely with directors of public health thro...

The Secretary of State pointed out that the capacity of the health service is important and shoul...

The right hon. Gentleman asks a fair question. I will answer precisely that question in just a mo...

We know that the vaccines are only 33% effective at reducing omicron infection. We know that the ...

I think both have a role to play. In the NHS and in social care, there is very frequent testing—l...

I draw attention to my entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The Secretary of St...

In coming to this decision, we held an extensive consultation with thousands of responses. Import...

Order. Let us allow the Secretary of State to finish his speech. He has some important informatio...

The settings to which this measure would apply include, of course, NHS hospitals, and GP and dent...

If a member of the NHS decides that they do not want to be vaccinated, will they be given a redun...

I believe that it would not be classed as redundancy because it would not be redundancy; that job...

I must make progress. I am sorry.

Order. The Secretary of State is right; he must make progress, as other people need to speak now....

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

Today, the chief executive of NHS England has written to m...

Before I call the shadow Secretary of State, it might be helpful for the House to know there will...

I begin by acknowledging that there are sincere and deeply held views on both sides of this debat...

Can the hon. Gentleman explain why the Labour party did not support mandatory vaccinations for ca...

I will outline our position on that, but the hon. Gentleman will have to be patient because I wil...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that we are all very conscious of how important this time of y...

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. Indeed, one of our primary reasons for supporting the...

My hon. Friend makes a very good point on that. Is not the reality that if we did not introduce t...

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. Let me be clear: we in the Labour party support this ...

I thank the shadow Secretary of State for giving way. I wonder whether he shares my concern about...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. Of course, in order for this measure to work as effectively as w...

Does the shadow Secretary of State not accept that rather than giving confidence to people, these...

I will say to the right hon. Gentleman that it is my understanding from dispatches from the shado...

Can we take it from that that the hon. Gentleman is in favour of extending the certification, or ...

For now, we think the Government have struck the right balance. The measure is limited to nightcl...

With the covid passes, there is the option of using a lateral flow test or double vaccination. Do...

I think the hon. Member should look at the evidence from our friends on the continent, which is t...

The shadow Secretary of State has obviously spoken to lots of people and he is really concerned a...

I direct the hon. Member to the SAGE advice, which is that there is some evidence—I would not put...

I draw the House’s attention to my declaration, as a practising NHS doctor, in the Register of Me...

I strongly endorse what the hon. Gentleman said. Infection control is going to be a real challeng...

I supported the requirement for people working with vulnerable people in care homes to be vaccina...

I hope I can reassure the right hon. Gentleman that it will not be a case of saying to people, “I...

My hon. Friend is handling his speech in just the right way. There is a balance of rights here, a...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right.

We have heard the arguments in outline: this is about p...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

If the hon. Gentleman just lets me make this point, I will certainly give way.

Those are br...

I appreciate the point that the hon. Gentleman is making, but that is not what the results of the...

I have no doubt whatsoever that opinion in the workforce is divided. I do not dispute that, and i...

My hon. Friend is setting out his response to these proposals with great care. On the vexed issue...

That is a helpful intervention from my hon. Friend. Let me be clear: I absolutely acknowledge the...

I will say more about that in a just a moment, because the hon. Member for North Dorset (Simon Ho...

I am grateful to the shadow Secretary of State for giving way. May I endorse and welcome what he ...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. We have a big effort to boost the booster this month and we have...

rose—

rose—

This is a difficult decision—two Members from the same region—but my hon. Friend the Member for L...

I appreciate my hon. Friend giving way. He is making an excellent speech; however, the British Me...

That is such an important point, and I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making it. There is a re...

In St Helens, 99% of care home staff are vaccinated, and at Whiston Hospital, the best one in the...

Order. Let me just make this clear: more than 40 people wish to speak this afternoon and if peopl...

It may have been a speech rather than an intervention, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I thought it was...

Will my hon. Friend acknowledge that anti-vaxxers are using vicious and very effective psychologi...

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. This comes back to the point I made about the Governm...

The hon. Gentleman is making a very good speech, and I apologise for interrupting him, but on a p...

The hon. Gentleman has called repeatedly from a sedentary position that I do not know the science...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech and putting his case very forcefully. On the issue o...

My hon. Friend makes such an important point. Going back to the staff surveys, particularly given...

My hon. Friend started off his speech in an excellent way and has got better as he has gone throu...

Let me say to my hon. Friend that, in his intervention, he started off well, dipped in the middle...

I shall take one or two more interventions and then I shall conclude.

My hon. Friend is making a very important point: we need to make decisions on the evidence that i...

I agree with my hon. Friend, and particularly in this city. The reproduction rate of this virus i...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that one thing that will reassure Members across the House is a com...

I agree with the hon. Lady. I appreciate that she is a newer Member of the House but I dare say s...

I think the House will want to acknowledge the power of the speech that the Opposition spokesman,...

As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, I was trying to help you with the intervention by withdrawing ...

I have in my hand the impact assessment for vaccination as a condition of deployment in health an...

That is very interesting. It is also interesting that papers circulated by the Vote Office said t...

On a typical winter’s day, between 200 and 350 people will die of flu. Do we hide behind our mask...

I have just come from a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus. We were give...

The hon. Lady and I share a hospital trust. She will know that that hospital is being overwhelmed...

That may well be the case now, but I do not see why that is an argument against needing to get co...

Let me begin by saying a word about the vaccine programme and issuing a plea to Ministers.

...

The right hon. Gentleman is making a very important point. Some Welsh rugby players who had covid...

I absolutely agree, and what we do not require is more advice from Ministers on this subject; we ...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I have given way once. I am conscious that colleagues want to speak, so I will not give way again...

Having had the dubious pleasure of spending an inordinate amount of time in various Committee Roo...

Across the House, many of us have been calling for greater transparency from the Government. The ...

Indeed. If we look at what has happened in Wales, there has been a similar system for some time, ...

Here we are again, and this time, two weeks on, the concept of “learn to live with covid” is as d...

We all know that the NHS is facing one of the toughest winters in living memory; not only is covi...

Over the past year I have supported some covid measures and voted against others. With that in mi...

Given time, I will concentrate my comments on mandatory vaccinations for NHS staff. I find myself...

Does my hon. Friend agree that if these measures will come into force at the beginning of April a...

I thank my hon. Friend for that excellent point, which I agree with wholeheartedly.

The wor...

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests: I am a ...

I rise to focus, in the short time available, on statutory instrument No. 1416, on entry to venue...

Let me start with a few words about the big picture. My hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (St...

The data from South Africa that we heard this morning in the Science and Technology Committee sho...

I have seen that, and I look forward to the information from the UK. The point I have been making...

The past week has been tumultuous. We are about to go off on our Christmas break. The only positi...

Whenever this House passes legislation, it is essential that it is effective, evidence-based and ...

I rise to express my serious concerns about the principle of mandatory vaccination, not for any i...

My Friend’s excellent work as a trade union leader in the NHS is well understood. She is speaking...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making that intervention and he makes a point I wanted to mak...

My hon. Friend knows about health and care workers—

Marie, address the House please.

I apologise. I know my hon. Friend knows about care and health workers so she knows how dedicated...

I thank my hon. Friend, who represents her constituents so well. There is an alternative path and...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell), but where I have t...

I thank everyone across the country who has had their booster—everyone who has been lining up at ...

I will speak briefly to ensure colleagues can get in on this important debate.

I will go th...

The last speaker at five minutes is Wera Hobhouse, and then it goes to four minutes.

5.5 pm...

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I might even stick to the four-minute limit.

No doubt we are ...

There is now a four-minute limit. I call Jane Stevenson.

5.10 pm

I am grateful for the chance to speak in this debate. Let me start by saying that I absolutely su...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton North East (Jane Stevenson...

I applaud the Government for their massive scale-up and huge ambition in respect of the booster p...

Our covid measures have, and continue to, hurt our citizens—from a man with late-stage dementia w...

It is a pleasure to follow my right hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andre...

Although I fully support the Government’s determination to protect our communities, I seek clarit...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns). This...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Aaron Bell). He wa...

I want to believe that the new restrictions are motivated by the care and compassion felt by scie...

Order. To accommodate everybody, I am reducing the time limit to three minutes. I was able to war...

This has been a good debate but it is a profoundly frustrating and depressing experience to have ...

The heart of these regulations is all about slowing transmission and reducing demand on our limit...

Order. We will get everybody in as long as Members do not take interventions—or if they do, they ...

I want to speak directly to all the points raised, very quickly.

Being able to take a test ...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Nick Fletcher) and I thank h...

Order. We must move quickly on.

5.56 pm

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Anthony Mangnall), although I wi...

Let me start by sympathising with the Prime Minister and those on the Front Bench. These are not ...

It is difficult to follow Buttons, but I will try. Yesterday I was asked in an interview whether ...

I think most people understood that vaccination was the route back to normality. Despite the fact...

I call Bob Seely.

6.8 pm

Me? I am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker, I could not hear you over the appreciation for the speech o...

The health of the nation has united this House over the past 22 months, but what we know about th...

This has been a passionate debate that has reflected the gravity of the situation. I sincerely th...

Throughout today’s debate, we have heard the sincere and heartfelt views of hon. and right hon. M...

Will the Minister give way?

In a moment.

There is much that we still do not know about this virus, as there is a wide r...

The Secretary of State said earlier that he might be able to provide the House with an update on ...

I will come to that matter directly—not just because they are rugby players, but because it is an...

They are Welsh rugby players.

Indeed.

The Minister is absolutely right that we have to do all that we can to stop the spread of the omi...

I am not sure whether the hon. Member has been in the Chamber for the whole debate, but throughou...

Order. To address the point raised by the hon. Member for Brent Central (Dawn Butler), in the eve...