AQW 4138/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 15/05/2020
Answered On Date: 19/08/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health when he, or his Department, will issue direction to terminate the (i) emergency period; (ii) restrictions and/or; (iii) requirements imposed by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020.

Answer:

TEO holds the lead responsibility and operational management of the process leading to Executive decisions on the ongoing need for restrictions and the requirement to amend the regulations. This responsibility includes receiving and managing all proposals from Executive departments, management of the decision making process and facilitating consultation with departments on the drafting of amendment regulations.

The Northern Ireland Executive, when making decisions on easing restrictions and the impact on the R-rate, takes into account the scientific and medical evidence. It is not always possible to disaggregate the precise impact on the rate of transmission of the virus in the community for each of the individual restrictions on their own or alternatively the easements of these. Scientific evidence used by the Executive for decision making purposes is now publically available: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/covid-19-scientific-evidence.