Extract from Scotland
Questions
(Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) (Con) [V]:
There are many different ways that the Government can provide
economic support to Scottish businesses during covid-19. For the
Scotch whisky industry, the biggest help in retaining jobs and
supporting its businesses would be for the Government to resolve
the US tariffs dispute, rather than escalate it by applying further
retaliatory tariffs. Can my right hon. Friend update the House on
progress on this vital issue for Scottish businesses and jobs?
The Secretary of State for Scotland ( ): To answer my
right hon. Friend’s question, the Secretary of State for
International Trade last night had a Zoom call
with MPs from across the House, and I know that she stressed that
the UK Government are determined to settle this issue as soon as
possible and to mitigate the effects for those who are impacted
by it. In short, we continue to raise the issue with the highest
levels of the US Administration.
Extract from Commons
debate on Covid-19
(West Bromwich West) (Con):...The fact is that this is
a difficult one. Last week was probably the first time in this
House that I have been really torn, because we are having to find
that balance with people’s liberties. Yes, the public health
crisis is absolutely there; we can see it in the news and we can
see it in the data. Every single person impacted by covid-19 is
an individual and it is a tragedy when we see those deaths
happen, but it is getting to a point where constituents come to
me and say, “I haven’t seen my relatives in months,” “There is a
choice as to whether I can go to my loved one’s funeral,” “I
cannot go because the capacity is not there,” and “I cannot see
my loved ones get married.” It is difficult. We have seen this
technological renaissance through things like
Zoom and Teams and people have been able to
connect, but that does not replace physical human interaction at
all...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on Family Visits in Health and Social
Care Settings: Covid-19
(Bexhill and Battle) (Con):...This Friday, I will
partake in my regular care home quiz with the residents at Ardath
in Bexhill. Sadly, we cannot be physically together, but will
join on Zoom. Our quiz master, the remarkable
resident Georgie Farrow, always sets a tough challenge for me and
brings laughter to the room. That residential care setting, like
many others I visit, demonstrates the love, fun and spirit that
can exist. It is vital that we do not lose that ethos while
rightly seeking to keep residents safe...
(Liverpool, Walton) (Lab):...In reality, care home
visits are a lottery. Relatives tell me that it is still proving
difficult for them to secure consistent visits. That lottery
means that one home in my constituency facilitates window and
garden visits and arranges Facetime and Zoom calls. Another home had
facilitated window visits when they were allowed, but found that
residents were left upset and agitated as they did not understand
why they could not see their family as normal, and Facetime
and Zoom calls often led to more
confusion and upset. That home now has a designated area so
family members can visit during the winter, and has created an
action plan to put that in place...
(North
Ayrshire and Arran) (SNP):...We have all heard of the distress
and loneliness, the destructive sense of isolation, that older
people have felt, particularly but not exclusively in care homes,
as they miss that very important contact with loved ones. A phone
call or a Zoom connection is a
substitute, but it is much less satisfactory in terms of
emotional connection. There is no substitute for an isolated
older person having a cup of tea while sitting in their favourite
chair just across from a loved one, having a hug and seeing the
smiling faces of their grandchildren. A virtual substitute can
never replace that...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
