AQW 15039/17-22


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 19/02/2021
Answered On Date: 26/05/2021
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the scientific rationale behind limiting the delivery of hot food to 11:00pm, as per the current regulations.


Answer:
When the restrictions were reintroduced from 26 December 2020, restaurant takeaways and deliveries were not permitted as a necessary and proportionate response to the pandemic by limiting the hours that businesses were allowed to operate.
All relaxations were to be introduced gradually to minimise the risk to public health and, if necessary, could be quickly reversed.
On 15 April 2021 the Executive agreed a range of relaxations which came into effect on 30 April, including the ending of the curfew on restaurant and takeaway food deliveries. As with other businesses, they were subject to the requirement to operate safely and to follow health and safety law and guidance and to take measures to keep staff and customers safe.
The Executive, when making decisions on restrictions, takes into account the scientific and medical evidence and also the impacts of the restrictions on the economy and society. The Executive weighs up the totality of the effect each restriction can have in combination with other restrictions in reducing the rate of infections of COVID-19.
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. 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.
Scientific evidence used by the Executive for decision making purposes is now publically available: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/covid-19-scientific-evidence
On 2 March 2021 the Executive ‘Moving Forward: The Executive's Pathway Out of Restrictions’. The pathway is supported by a revised process for a 4-week Executive review cycle. The new process also permits a more urgent consideration of proposals from Departments deemed to have urgent or compelling reasons to fall outside the four week review process.
In this new process, the management of the changes to the restrictions regulations moved to the Executive Office (TEO).
TEO will now hold 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. This work is supported by a Cross-Departmental Working Group, chaired by the Director of the TEO COVID-19 Taskforce team with membership from all 9 Departments and key stakeholders, including local government and PSNI.