Limit thehere we can numbers to ensure maximum safety. We are doing our best. We now come to the Prime Ministers questions. Rob butler. Prime minister mr. Speaker to paynt to join me tribute to the reservist medic in the scottish and both irish human reef who was tragically killed in iraq last week. My deepest sympathies are with her family and loved ones at this very difficult time. This morning i have minute meetings with ministers and colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the house, i shall have further such meetings later today. Like many others in the united kingdom, my constituents in aylesbury are understandably deeply concerned about covid19, and i pay tribute to staff at Stoke Mandeville hospital, Bucks Social Services and everyone in the community who is helping those with the virus or in isolation. Can my right honorable friend assure the people of aylesbury, and everybody in the country, that the government will take whatever action is needed and spend whatever money is needed to save lives and protect livelihoods . Pm johnson mr. Speaker, i join my honorable friend in paying tribute to the staff at Stoke Mandeville and to all the staff in our fantastic nhs for the way they are coping at this extremely difficult time. He can certainly take it that we have not only put another £5 billion into the nhs last week, as he heard from my right honorable friend, but we will certainly do whatever it takes and provide whatever funding is necessary to help our nhs through this crisis and, indeed, to support the whole country with governmentguaranteed loans, as he will have heard yesterday. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank mps for the very responsible approach they have taken to todays question time by sitting a suitable distance apart to avoid crossfertilisation of this horrible disease. I also want to join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to Lance Corporal brodie gillon, who was killed in iraq last week. Our thoughts are with her family and friends. Today, mr. Speaker, people are mourning the loss of loved ones, and many more will be suffering from the effects of coronavirus, including those already losing work or losing their jobs who are worried about whether they can keep a roof over their head. Our greatest thanks must go to the frontline medical and Public Health staff who are fighting to combat the spread of the disease, and to the public servants, postal workers in particular, who have given such sacrifices today, and to the cleaners, who are providing vital support. We must also thank those working round the clock to make sure our shops and warehouses are stocked with the essential Food Supplies that everybody needs. We on these benches will do our duty to hold the government to account. Together, we need to ensure that the most effective action is taken to protect people, and it is in that spirit that i ask questions of the Prime Minister today. Every member of the public will make sacrifices in the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, but those on low pay, selfemployed workers and Small Business owners are understandably worried. Sue wrote to me this week. Her family is in isolation, and she says the current £94. 25 a week statutory sick pay is not enough to pay for their food shopping. Can the Prime Minister do what the chancellor repeatedly refused to do yesterday and pledge to increase statutory sick pay to european levels . Pm johnson i want to thank the right honorable the way in which opposition have been approaching the issue generally, and for the cooperation so far that has taken place between our front benches on this matter. Because it is, as he rightly says, this is a national emergency, and we are asking the public to do things and take actions in a way that is unprecedented for a government in peacetime, and perhaps even unprecedented in the last century. That is really unprecedented for a government in peacetime and perhaps even unprecedented in the last century. To come to his question, it is only right that when we are asking people to take action to isolate themselves, if they have the disease or a member of the household as the disease, if we are ensuring asking the public to take steps which jeopardize businesses, cause people to risk losing their job. Ize businesses, cause people to risk losing their job. It is also the right to whatever their circumstances is, we should ensure that workers get the support that they need. So in addition to the package of so, to come to his question, it is only right, that when we ask people to take action to isolate themselves if they or a member of their household has the disease, or to take steps that jeopardise businesses and cause people to risk losing their job, it is absolutely right that, whatever their circumstances, we should ensure workers get the support they need. So in addition to the package of business support that my right honorable friend, the chancellor outlined yesterday, we will be working with the unions and colleagues across the house, and bringing forward further measures to support workers of all kinds throughout this crisis. Speaker jeremy corbyn. Mr. Corbyn the u. K. Sick pay levels lag far behind those of european counterparts. The scandinavian countries are giving many of them 100 of their wages during this crisis. And i hope that when the Prime Minister brings forward proposals on this they will reflect the reality of peoples lives. You cannot feed a family on 90odd quid a week. , therefore, are putting everybody at risk because they have to go out to work in order to put food on their table. To guarantee sick pay, workers have to prove that they are in a minimum of 118 pounds per week. So i hope that when the Prime Minister brings forward proposals he will give confidence to the millions of people who work in lowincome jobs, are in insecure work or selfemployed, and commit to extending very much enhanced statutory sick pay to all workers. Pm johnson mr. Speaker, as i have told the house before, of course we will ensure that nobody is penalised for doing the right thing, protecting not just themselves but other members of society and making sure that our nhs is able to cope. Clearly, statutory sick pay will, typically, be supplemented by other benefits, but i repeat what i said to the right honorable gentleman as the state is making these demands of the public and of business, it is only right that throughout this period, we should be doing whatever it takes to support the workers of this country throughout this crisis. To support the workers of this country throughout this crisis. What it takes is a recognition of the social injustices and any close that exist in this country, and i hope when the Prime Minister makes the proposals on statutory sick pay levels, that will be recognized. A quarter of the people that are most crucial to supporters in this crisis, social care staff and almost half of Homecare Workers are on zero hours contract so, therefore, automatically not entitled to sick pay. By not extending statutory sick pay to all workers, the government is forcing social care staff, they are the people who could unwittingly be transmitting the disease amongst the most vulnerable in our community, to choose between health and on hardship. Yesterday the chancellor unfortunately offered nothing to the 20 Million People that live in rented homes, including three noted households with children. They are worried, worried sick that they cant either rent if they get ill, loose pay, or feel they need to self isolate. It is in the interest of Public Health, other health of all of us, that people dont feel forced to go to work in order to avoid eviction when they know themselves they may be spreading this terrible disease. So will the Prime Minister now confirm that the governments emergency legislation will protect private renters from eviction . Well, mr. Speaker, i can indeed confirm that i may come hes making serious positive points and i can indeed confirm that we will do, we will be bringing legislation to protect private renters from eviction. That is one thing will do but its also important as we legislate that we do not simply pass on the problems. We will also be taking steps to protect other actors in the economy. All of us represent privatesector tenets in our constituencies, and we know the stress they are going through now. They need something said urgently about this, as i hope the government will Say Something as soon as possible today would be appropriate. Nhs staff are on the front line of caring for patients suffering from coronavirus. However, sadly, those workers have no idea if there actually transmitting the virus themselves. They may not be obvious as suffering from it but they could still be transmitting it. If they are ill or not when they return to work on the front line, what effect it will have. So can the Prime Minister please explain why the government isnt prioritizing the testing of all health care staff, both those in the nhs and those hosting suchl job in the care sector . Well, mr. Speaker, in point of fact with our prioritizing testing of nhs staff, and the obvious reason is we want them to be able to look after everybody else with companies that they are not transmitting the disease and this country is actually far ahead of many other comparable countries in testing huge numbers of people. We are increasing our test from 5000 to 10,000 a day and it may be of interest to the house to know that were getting much closer, mr. Speaker, to having generally available tests which will determine whether or not you had the disease, and that would truly be a future benefit to this country in tackling the outbreak. The World Health Organization said test, test, test. And we should be testing i believe on an industrial scale. When i met the Prime Minister monday evening he assured me there were 10,000 test are they going on. Thats better than none obviously, but it is nowhere near even the number of people working in the nhs and the care sector. It is a massive undertaking and i wish there was a greater sense of urgency from the government in getting this Testing Available for all staff. Nhs staff are obviously on the front line, and many are scared because the guidance that has been changed to say they do not need to wear full protective equipment when caring for patients. A senior doctor said quote the rest of the world is providing staff with full protective gear and we are restricting it. This is a doctor saying, im scared. We shouldnt be scaring doctors and nurses. Is there a policy for them to full protective equipment or not . Because i believe it should be the case. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Just quickly to reassure them where moving up to 25,000 a day, and on ppe, equipment for nhs staff, hes absolutely right to raise this this is a huge concern obviously to everyone that our nhs staff should feel they are able to interact with patients with perfect security and protection. So there is a massive effort going on comparable to the effort to build enough ventilators to ensure that we have adequate supplies of ppe equipment, not just have throughout the outbreak. Mr. Speaker, generations to come will look back on this moment and they will judge us. Judges on the actions that we take now. Our response must be bold and it must be decisive. The market cannot deliver what is needed. Only collective public action led by government can protect our people and our society. And that collective action must not allow, must not allow the burden to fall most of those who lack the resources to cope as happened after the financial crash. People across the country understand, they do understand the need for temporary restrictions on our way of life to protect us all and we will work with the government. But the Prime Minister must understand that were required balancing action to protect the most insecure and vulnerable in the interest of Public Health as well as of social justice. The health of us all depends on the health of the most vulnerable. So i ask the Prime Minister, with the step up now and not tomorrow and give support to those Vulnerable People who live on the margins of our society, vulnerable themselves and make us all vulnerable, and give them the support and the assurance that they desperately are searching for today . Indeed i can, mr. Speaker, and thats why weve announced another 500 million to go straight into counsels to help them immediately with the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. Thats why weve announced immediate cash injections into business, to help them through an unquestionably a difficult time. Thats why we will be bringing forth further measures to ensure that every worker receives support throughout this difficult period. Because we are asking, hes right to draw attention to the unprecedented nature of this crisis where asking the public to do quite extraordinary things. Were asking business to show their quite extraordinary burdens, shoulder. But the more effectively we can Work Together to comply with the very best scientific advice which is what is actuated discovered throughout the crisis, which is what has guided discovered throughout the crisis, the better our chances of relieving the burden on the nhs, the more lives will say, the more suffering we will avoid, and the quicker we will get through it. And be in no doubt that this is, the right honorable gentleman sf slid right. This is an enormous challenge for this country. I think the people of this country what they need to do to beat it, and they also i think understand that we will beat it and we will beat it together. In november the Prime Minister and secretary of state came to visit the hospital to see the excellent work in my local nhs. We were delighted to have 14. 9 Million Pounds investment in upgrading accident and emergency departments. With the Prime Minister please update us on the progress of this enmity of the secretary of state except invitation to see the work once it is completed . Mr. Speaker, i congratulate my friend on what never going to talk to the wonderful doctors and staff and the detailed in great detail the faceting plan for improving service for their patience. Im absolutely determined to support him and him in their ambitions. Thats one would put a 15 Million Pounds already into expanding Emergency Care capacity. My right honorable Friend Health secretaries working i know intimately within two take forward the whole project. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Can i associate myself the remarks of the Prime Minister in the killing of Lance Corporal brody gillum . Mr. Speaker, this is an unprecedented emergency and it requires an unprecedented response. I welcome the fact that the parties across this house and governments across of these islands have worked together as we attempt to protect all our peoples. It is the right approach and at the very least the public expects and deserve from us. Yesterday the chancellor announced a 330 billion pounds financial package for business. Today, the uk government needs to announce a financial package for people. Members from six parties across this house have never expressed support for a temporary universal to everyone, especially freelances, renters and the selfemployed. Using the current tax system, will the Prime Minister stand up today and give a commitment to the right people with the security of a universal basic income . Well, mr. Speaker, first of all i want to thank the right honorable gentleman for the spirit in which he has spoken and, indeed, theres a huge amount of collaboration going across all four machinations of this country as you can imagine, mr. Speaker, and we are in lockstep what i would just say on his appeal for a basic income, do not underestimate, mr. Speaker, the value to people of the measures that weve already announced that will support business and keep jobs going, make sure those businesses continue in existence. That must be the first step but then as ive said repeatedly now to the right honorable leader of the opposition, it is also come hes quite right, it is also important that throughout this crisis we take steps to support workers investigation he makes of course is one of many such suggestions. Can i think the Prime Minister for his answer and theres a willingness from all of us to Work Together as they go through this crisis. But mr. Speaker, thousands of people already losing their jobs. Its happening today. Millions will face the same threat. They need reassurance and support and, indeed, it today. They need an income guarantee. Prime minister we must not repeat history. People are worried about their bills. They are worried about keeping a roof over their heads. The last financial crisis the banks were bailed out. The ordinary people were not. Prime minister, you have it within your power to protect peoples incomes and provide them with peace of mind. At this time, and emergency universal income scheme would do just that. Will the Prime Minister, at the very least, commit to meeting all of us who support this proposal and discussed how he can protect the incomes of all of our people . Yes, indeed, mr. Speaker, i can make that commitment. Indeed i said as much in my earlier answer to the right honorable tillman. Its a very important as we go forward that we try and enlist a consensus in this house about how to support people throughout the crisis. I agree profamily what he said about not repeating history. It is very important that as we ask the public to do the right thing for themselves and for