23Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must grant visa extension to allied health professionals

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are supporting the call by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists in asking the Government to honour the contribution of all foreign born allied health professionals during the Covid-19 crisis by ensuring they are included in the Government’s auto-visa extension scheme. The majority of the 150,000 Allied Health Professions, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and speech & language therapists, are currently excluded from the government’s auto-visa extension scheme. This scheme was meant to recognise the pressures on frontline staff from overseas, who are fighting to keep people safe from COVID-19. The Liberal Democrats are already leading a campaign to say “loudly and unequivocally, that those who have put their lives at risk for our country are welcome to live in it”. The party has secured cross-party…
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22Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government unwillingness to work with EU through crisis unforgivable

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Health Secretary's refutation of the suggestion that the Government's decision not to be involved in an EU ventilator scheme was a "political decision", Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “This Government's evident unwillingness to work with the European Union through the current crisis is unforgivable.  “Time and again, the Government seem to have missed opportunities to join the EU's procurement efforts. Continued shortages of PPE over the last few days coupled with the Government's failure to scale up testing for NHS and social care workers demonstrate that the current approach hasn't delivered. Lives are at risk as a result.  “To maintain any credibility, the Government must be completely frank about what opportunities were missed or deliberately passed up. Ministers must be absolutely clear that they will participate…
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22Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey calls for independent inquiry into handling of coronavirus crisis

Parliamentary news
Ed Davey, Acting Leader of the the Liberal Democrats, has reiterated the need for the Government to continue to put all its energy into stopping the spread of coronavirus. He has further called for an independent inquiry to review the Government’s response to the pandemic "so we can learn the lessons" once the immediate crisis has passed.  Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said: “Millions of people are working day and night to tackle the coronavirus crisis in this country. The Government must put all its energy into supporting them and stopping the spread of coronavirus. Liberal Democrats will continue to back measures to tackle this cruel disease whilst holding the Government to account where they are failing to deliver for those who need it most. “Once we are through this crisis, there will…
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22Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems urge rapid action to enable MPs to vote remotely during crisis

Parliamentary news
Ahead of today's House of Commons Motion to progress plans for MPs to vote remotely whilst social distancing measures remain in place, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain said:  “Parliamentary scrutiny is more important than ever during the coronavirus crisis, especially given the emergency powers needed to keep people safe. “It is right that, like everyone else, MPs stay at home as much as possible to protect the NHS and save lives. Changes to allow MPs to vote remotely are therefore absolutely vital and Liberal Democrats have been calling for them since the start of this crisis. “Now Parliament must put in place the procedures to make remote voting a reality as soon as possible, so that MPs can do our jobs and pass urgently needed legislation to improve people’s lives. Secure…
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20Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must be held accountable for coronavirus failings

Parliamentary news
Responding to Michael Gove's appearances on Sophy Ridge and Andrew Marr, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Michael Gove's media round further reveals a government in crisis. It is becoming clearer day by day that this Government is failing to respond effectively to the spread of coronavirus. “The fact that the damning report in the Sunday Times is only ‘slightly off beam’, will further alarm many. The Government must be held accountable for their initial failure to take this virus seriously, especially when it's clear the issues the country is now facing, such as the dire lack of PPE, was raised by many, including ourselves, months ago. “Today, the Liberal Democrats have put forward a support package that would help ensure our frontline workers get the protective equipment they need and…
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20Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lack of support means laptop offer will fail to help those who need it

Parliamentary news
Responding to the announcement that disadvantaged pupils in England will be able to borrow laptops to study online while schools are closed, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The announcement, which will help disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils to learn alongside their peers, is of course welcome. But there's an elephant in the room: we don't even know who all the vulnerable and disadvantaged children, who need more support and help, are.  “The Government needs to do much more to try and locate these vulnerable children, otherwise the help they are offering will be futile. With so many families being plunged into financial uncertainty overnight, there are thousands of families desperately in need of support who are not on the Government's radar. “The Government must also agree to an increase in child benefit,…
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20Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must back proposals to help vulnerable children

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran has written to the Secretary of State for Education, calling for a package of measures to help vulnerable children to be introduced as a priority. The measures outlined in Layla Moran's letter include: the recruitment of a volunteer force to identify and contact vulnerable children the convening of a national Emergency Vulnerable Children Taskforcean uplift to Child Benefit of £150 per month per child The package recommended by the Liberal Democrats has been closely informed by the findings and calls of leading stakeholders, including the Children’s Commissioner, NSPCC and Children’s Society.  Following the calls for the government to support her package, Layla Moran said: “This is a national emergency, and the Government needs to take action to reflect that. That’s why the Education Secretary must urgently announce…
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16Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must act to stop renters becoming homeless

Parliamentary news
Responding to the new research from Shelter showing that an estimated 1.7 million private renters say they are likely to lose their job in the next three months because of the coronavirus crisis, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for MHCLG Tim Farron said: “Many renters up and down the country will have lost their livelihoods overnight due to the coronavirus crisis. We already know millions of people are simply not able to afford their rent at the moment and the fact that another 1.7 million are likely to lose their jobs over the coming months shows that this crisis is far from over. “Before the coronavirus crisis even hit, the end of a private rented sector tenancy was the leading cause of homelessness. The housing crisis has been continuously ignored over the past five years and now the financial impact…
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16Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government still failing to provide essential protection for carers

Parliamentary news
Responding to Health Secretary’s press conference, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Promoting the use of the Care Badge, initially announced in March 2019, is welcome. Carers throughout the country are making enormous sacrifices to care for people during the Coronavirus crisis and must be recognised alongside NHS workers.  “Yet while we welcome the badge, Ministers have still not managed to provide all carers with the protection they desperately need. “It is regrettably becoming clear that the Government is failing to deliver on key promises to care workers, especially over supplies of protective equipment. “We simply cannot send tens of thousands of frontline workers to care for people as they fight this virus without adequate protection. The lack of sufficient protective equipment is a national scandal; many health and care…
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14Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Care home coronavirus outbreaks show need for PPE and testing for frontline staff

Parliamentary news
Responding to the daily press conference in which it was reported that 13.5% of care homes have had an outbreak of coronavirus, with 92 care homes declaring an outbreak in the past 24 hours alone, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “Care homes provide a home for some of the most elderly and vulnerable people right across our country. Statistics showing that 13.5% of care homes have faced an outbreak of coronavirus are therefore incredibly worrying. “The Liberal Democrats have long been calling for the staff at care homes, along with NHS staff and social care workers, to be provided with adequate personal protective equipment as well as tests to diagnose if they have the virus. “These frontline workers are caring for the most vulnerable in our society. It's vital the…
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