Engagements — House of Commons, 2020-03-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: I thank my right hon. Friend for his leadership and the leadership of his Cabinet at this incredibly difficult time and for the announced package of measures that will support millions of people and protect them from financial hardship. As he has just said, the Government’s advice is clear: stay home to support the NHS and to protect lives. Will he help more people to make the right decision by giving an absolute assurance to the 5,000 self-employed people in Mansfield that he is seriously considering taking measures that will help them to do that?; Wolverhampton has sadly already seen many cases of covid-19, and I am sure the Prime Minister would like to join me in thanking all the staff at New Cross Hospital in my constituency. Will he thank the many volunteers coming forward to help their neighbours in Wolverhampton, but also say to the few people who are trying to flout the advice to stay at home that their actions will cost lives?; The Prime Minister will understand that there is considerable concern about the situation at Northwick Park Hospital, which serves my constituents and many others, given the critical incident there last week and, tragically, that it has recorded one of the highest levels of deaths so far. Will he therefore tell the House when he expects the staff at the hospital to have access to the high-grade personal protection equipment they need, and, crucially, to testing equipment as and when they need it in order to keep them safe, to prevent the risk of cross-infection and to keep their loved ones safe?; There is no doubt that our nation and our world are under attack from an aggressive virus that intends to infect every one of us—sometimes with deadly consequences. It seems to me that in uncertain times we need clarity and leadership, and I want to commend the Prime Minister for the leadership and clarity that he has given in the messages coming from Government. We know them all very clearly: to protect the NHS and to save lives by staying at home.Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will lift the measures imposed at the earliest possible opportunity, once he knows that our nation is safe?; Through the Prime Minister, may I thank Ministers, particularly from the Department of Health and Social Care, who have been working very constructively with Members from across the House in these difficult times? Those Ministers have asked us to report back difficult situations in our patches. In that light, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the Oaklands care home in my constituency has had a really difficult time lately. A 94-year-old resident developed the symptoms of coronavirus and requested a test. Ten days later, when the test finally happened, 14 of the 20 residents were exhibiting symptoms. Seven of the staff were off sick so that they could self-isolate—they were agency staff who had also been working in other care homes. None of the protective equipment requested had arrived. Can the Prime Minister tell the House on what date the 80,000 care homes around Britain can expect tests to be carried out on the day symptoms emerge and on what date every single person working in those care homes will get the protective equipment they need?; Can my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister assure me that he is in regular contact with supermarkets and food suppliers to ensure that goods are getting to the shelves, where they are needed? Will he join me in calling on people to take only what they need, not to stockpile and to stamp out the disgusting scourge of black market profiteering?; Does the Prime Minister share my concern that the contractors for HS2 Ltd are not following the very clear Government advice on coronavirus? This is not, to be clear, about the rights and wrongs of HS2; it is about the safety of us all. My constituents have seen contractors blatantly fail to follow the rules about social distancing, and have observed them coughing over concerned residents, causing great distress. Should they stay at home to save lives?; I commend the Prime Minister and all those on the frontline for their handling of this situation. I have raised with him previously the importance of reaching out to all the elderly and vulnerable who live alone, regardless of their health, so that no one is left behind. May I raise with him, as a former Foreign Secretary, the plight of the British Council? It is running out of money. It has had to cease its commercial activities and its reserves will be exhausted within weeks. Can he make funding available?; May I join colleagues from across the House in congratulating and thanking the Prime Minister for his strong leadership at this time, which has provided great reassurance to my constituents in Blackpool South? Will he continue to work with the voluntary sector and charity groups to ensure that vulnerable people continue to get the support they need from this Government during this challenging time?
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: this is not a time for levity; it is time for serious action and a serious response to the crisis. That is what he is seeing from this Government, and that is why, from day one, we insisted that statutory sick pay should be payable from day one and that is why we have advanced universal credit. Just to repeat the answer I gave a moment ago, we have increased universal credit by £1,000 a year. That will benefit 4 million people in the poorest families in the country. I pay tribute, by the way, among the many fantastic workers in this country—not just in the NHS, in social care, and of course in the teaching profession—to those in the DWP itself. They are doing an incredible job. They are facing huge, huge new demands, and they are doing an outstanding job. And yes, we will support them, and that is why we are putting another £7 billion, as I said just now, into our welfare system.