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• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Andrew Boff AM: Professor Fenton, on I think 3 March [2020], the Mayor of London said that there is no risk of people catching coronavirus while travelling on buses or trains in the capital. Did you give him that advice?

• Question by: David Kurten
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

David Kurten AM: Thank you, Chair. I would like to ask Dr Fenton. We heard from the Chair and you earlier about admissions to hospitals with COVID being the highest since the start of the declared pandemic in March 2020. How do total hospital admissions now, this January, compare to last January and other winter seasons before this year?

• Question by: Caroline Russell
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Caroline Russell AM: Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Martin, for that really clear description of what is happening in our hospitals and to the people working in those hospitals. I want to talk about the vaccination of frontline workers. I do realise that vaccination rollout is in early stages and that we will not know for a few months whether vaccination has any effect on reducing transmission, but yesterday the Government released guidance that said phase two of vaccination may include targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services. This week we...

• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Dr Onkar Sahota AM: Thank you, Chair. My question is to Martin. Martin, the NHS is in the “most dangerous situation in living history”, said the Chief Medical Officer [Professor Chris Whitty], and the “next few weeks will be the worst to come”, he said. Can you tell people listening to this what life is like on the NHS wards now? You said earlier on that we were able to increase our staff, but actually what is happening is that the staff have extended themselves. Previously we had one nurse looking after one patient in an ICU. We have four...

• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Thank you very much, Chair, and thank you to all our guests for everything you are doing to deal with this terrible pandemic. My question is for Martin on the NHS. There are a large number of people in London who are not registered with a general practitioner (GP), particularly those from vulnerable groups. That could be rough sleepers, the homeless, vulnerable migrants and sex workers. Given individuals need to be registered to get the COVID-19 vaccination, how are you looking at reaching those individuals to ensure they have access to it at the right time?

• Question by: Lord Bailey of Paddington
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Shaun Bailey AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, all. Can I address my first question to Deputy Mayor Agrawal, please? When restrictions are easing and are being pulled back, what work is being done to prepare London to reopen, by the Mayor’s Office and by your office as well, please?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Joanne McCartney AM: Thank you, Chair. Can I start by saying to our guests a big thank you for all you are doing? It really is appreciated. My question is probably best answered by Martin. It is about vaccinations. Data last week showed that London had the fewest vaccination centres per person in the country. I am pleased that the mass vaccination centre at the ExCeL is now open, but given that London has the highest rate of infection in the country, are you confident that the right resources are coming to our city? What else needs to change to...

• Question by: Susan Hall
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Susan Hall AM: Thank you. Good morning, everybody. My question, please, is to Rajesh Agrawal, our Deputy Mayor for Business. Rajesh, last Tuesday we had a very amicable Budget and Performance [Committee] meeting and the Mayor said, I quote: “There is some good news today from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor this morning has announced an additional grant, which will really help those sectors that we really worry about: retail, hospitality, all those sectors. He has announced a one-off grant today. It is hot off the press. This is a really good piece of news that will be...

• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Navin Shah AM: Thank you very much. My question is to Professor Fenton. We saw in the first wave that BAME Londoners were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In fact, the figures were very damning and not acceptable in any situation. What lessons have we learned since the first wave and what has been implemented as a result to improve the situation, which needs to be done speedily and dramatically?

• Question by: Tony Devenish
• Meeting date: 12 January 2021

Tony Devenish AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning. My question is to John Barradell. John, good morning and thank you for all the work you and all your borough teams have been doing with NHS partners, and the rest. It has been incredibly heart-warming to see the amount of work that has been undertaken by everybody across our public services. My question is not directly to do with the public services per se or indeed to do with the medical and economic emergency. I have seen, certainly since last Monday’s lockdown announcement, that morale amongst some Londoners seems to have...