Lords questions government in oral questions on 22 April

Business continued in the House of Lords on Wednesday 22 April, with daily oral questions being held in a virtual session.

A transcript of this session is available via Lords Hansard, and a short summary of the topics discussed is available below.

Oral questions on Wednesday 22 April:

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale asked the government what assessment it has made of the impact of COVID-19 on their Overseas Development Assistance spending priorities in 2020–21 and beyond.

Topics discussed included the impact of COVID-19 globally; the UK's commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the impact of coronavirus on women and girls; the role of the WHO in responding to the pandemic; and the treatment of malnutrition and the UK's support of the UN Population Fund.
Read the full discussion in Hansard.

Lord Blunkett questioned the government on what assessment it has made of the impact of the restriction of movement on those defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19; and what plans they have to change those restrictions.

Topics discussed included treatment of cancer and heart patients during the pandemic; tracking and tracing of those affected by COVID-19; lifting restrictions by age group; the potential long-term effects of shielding; and the communication of shielding needs to those affected.
Read the full discussion in Hansard.

Baroness Sheehan quizzed the government on what proportion of people in the United Kingdom have been found to have had COVID-19; and what assessment it has made of the impact of that figure on their policies towards lifting the restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic.

Topics discussed included testing of frontline workers; testing capacity; the location of testing centres; the impact of obesity on COVID-19 mortality rates; and the use of antibody testing.
Read the full discussion in Hansard.

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean asked the government what lessons they have learned from the experience of Switzerland, Germany and the United States in ensuring that businesses have easy and speedy access to Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans.

Topics discussed included loan guarantees; transparency from banks on recipients of loans; the number of banks offering loans and accreditation of new members of the scheme; insurance coverage for businesses; and personal guarantees against loans.
Read the full discussion in Hansard.

A Private Notice Question (urgent question) was also granted to Baroness Wheeler. Baroness Wheeler asked the government what assessment it has made of the analysis by Care England which suggests that there have been significantly more deaths caused by Covid-19 in care homes than have been reported.

Topics discussed included increases in care home deaths; testing in care homes; deaths of care workers; the sourcing of personal protective equipment (PPE); and the effect of COVID-19 on other services such as hospices.
Read the full discussion in Hansard.
Listen to the discussion for this question on YouTube.

Image: House of Lords