[unable to retrieve full-text content]Decision letter and Inspector’s Report for a recovered appeal.

Good afternoon and welcome to Downing Street for the daily coronavirus briefing. In keeping with the new format, I’ll go through the slides now and then we’ll take questions from members of the public and from journalists.

Slide one shows the testing capacity and the number of new cases. The top chart in the slide shows the number of tests. That number of tests as of 2 June was 135,643. This is different to testing capacity which stands at just over 200,000.

As I said yesterday, this demonstrates that there is spare capacity in testing. So if you have symptoms of coronavirus, that’s a fever or a new dry cough or a change in your sense of taste or smell, then please do go and get a test from nhs.uk/coronavirus or by phoning 119. It’s incredibly important that we can trace the virus by ensuring that anybody with symptoms has a test. And of course we’re rolling out testing across care homes and making sure staff in hospitals get the opportunity to be tested as well.

The bottom chart on the slide shows the number of confirmed cases. This is 1,613 as of 2 June. This brings the total number of cases confirmed in the UK to 277,985. Although the 1,613 figure is slightly higher than yesterday we can see that the 7-day rolling average continues to fall.

The data from hospitals show that those new admissions to hospitals in England has fallen to 436. This is down from 471 on 24 May, so just over a week ago, and down from a high of 3,121 on 2 April. This figure of 436 admissions to hospitals in England with COVID-19 is the lowest figure since 20 March. It demonstrates once again that we are making progress against this disease. Again, as yesterday the proportion of mechanical ventilators, ventilated beds that are occupied by patients with coronavirus remains at 9%.

Just like yesterday, the number of people in hospital continues to fall. 7,607 are now in hospital with coronavirus and that is falling, broadly falling in each part of the country, but for a little bit of day-to-day movement in some of the areas, for instance as you can see right at the end of the chart for the North East and Yorkshire. But we keep that very closely under review. But the overriding trend, as you can see, is downwards.

The next slide is the number of deaths and sadly on the 2 June [correction: 1 June], yesterday, 324 deaths with coronavirus were recorded taking the total to 39,369. We mourn each one of these. We try to keep these data as accurate as possible, including where we find, in the past, in some cases there are deaths where we discover there has been a connection to coronavirus and we add those into those data. So again we can see that the trend is broadly down but there is still some way to go. And after the weekend effect, which we’ve seen each weekend in terms of the number of deaths recorded, because this is according to the date these are recorded, we’ve seen that rise on most Mondays and sadly the figure is 324 today.

The final slide reports on data from the Office for National Statistics which was reported this morning and reported a total of 48,106 deaths in the UK where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. You can see again that this number is falling. The top chart shows those data and where we were on the recorded daily deaths data for the period that corresponded to these data coming from the ONS. On the bottom chart we can see the place of occurrence of those deaths. You can see both the number of deaths and the proportion of deaths that are in care homes, both of those are falling. 27.3% of deaths occurred in care homes in the latest ONS data to the week of 22 May, bringing the proportion overall of deaths in care homes down to 32.5%.

We don’t capture in these charts, but we do capture in a report published by Public Health England today further data, some of which are much more troubling. The PHE investigation into the way in which the virus targets people unequally and disproportionately has been put on the website. This is a particularly timely publication because right across the world people are angry about racial injustice and I get that. Black lives matter and I want to say this to everyone who works in the NHS and in social care. I value the contribution that you make, everybody equally. And I want to say it right across society too. I want to thank you and I want you to know that our whole country cares about your wellbeing. And I value too those who come to our country to work in the NHS and in social care. And I love that this country is one of the most welcoming and tolerant and diverse. That goes for the whole country and it goes especially for the health and care system.

As I said in the House of Commons earlier, PHE’s investigation found that age is the biggest risk factor for coronavirus, next gender, living in a city is a risk and being black or from a minority ethnic background is also a significant risk factor. There is much more work to do to understand what is driving these disparities and how the different risk factors interact and we are absolutely determined to get to the bottom of this and find ways of closing that gap. I’m delighted that Kemi Badenoch, the Minister for Equalities, will be taking this work forward, working with PHE and many others.

We value the contribution from everyone to fighting this virus. Everyone has a contribution to make. Of course, the thing that every single person can do is to make their personal contribution to fighting this virus. In the first instance things as simple as washing your hands, following the social distancing rules and of course if you have symptoms please self-isolate immediately and get tested to protect your friends and family. So let’s keep going and we’ll get through this. We’ll now turn to questions.

Mr Chair,

COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented shutdown of large parts of the global economy, with severe consequences for all countries. We recognise this immense challenge and that all countries will be developing response plans tailored to their circumstances. As you said in your opening remarks, as we recover the decisions we make today will either lay the foundation for sound, sustainable and inclusive growth, or lock-in polluting emissions for decades, and in doing so make our society and the planet more vulnerable.

As COP Presidency the UK is committed to increasing climate ambition. We will uphold the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as crucial frameworks for guiding the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Last week the COP Bureau agreed to our proposal to reschedule COP26 to the 1st to the 12th of November 2021, held in Glasgow. The new date gives the world the best chance of delivering an inclusive and ambitious COP. Bureau members were clear that a delayed summit, and the short-term impact, must not mean delayed action.

Coronavirus has provided a stark reminder of what happens when humanity’s relationship with nature breaks down. As we recover we have an opportunity to protect and restore nature, reducing our exposure to deadly viruses and climate impacts.

Mr Chair, Friday is World Environment Day. Since 1974, World Environment Day has been celebrated every year on 5 June – engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a single pressing environmental issue. This year’s event, hosted by Colombia in partnership with Germany, focuses on biodiversity with a campaign theme of ‘Time for Nature’.

Nature and biodiversity are central themes of our COP26 Presidency, focussing on the importance of nature-based solutions, which should be a win for livelihoods, climate, and biodiversity, which is also particularly salient in the context of COVID-19, a zoonotic disease.

UK Business Secretary and COP President-designate Mr Alok Sharma has stressed the importance of nature for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. And the UK will soon announce a £64 million package to support Colombia to tackle deforestation and build a cleaner and more resilient economy in areas affected by Covid-19 and conflict.

World Environment Day also sees the official launch of ‘Race to Zero’, the global COP26 campaign to mobilize leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors – all committed to the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. The campaign will also serve as a multi-stakeholder reactivation of the ‘Climate Ambition Alliance’, launched by the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in 2019. This will send a resounding signal that business, cities, regions and investors are united in meeting the Paris goals and creating a more inclusive and resilient economy.

A science-led, clean and resilient recovery will create employment in the industries of the future while ensuring we address the linked challenges of public health, climate change, and biodiversity.

Thank you.

The Specialist Leisure Group has gone into administration. The brand names they owned have also gone into administration.

This affects:

• Shearings Holidays
• National Holidays
• UK Breakaways
• Wallace Arnold Travel
• Caledonian Travel
• Bay Hotels
• Coast & Country Hotels
• Country Living Hotels
• Sporting Breaks

Information for former employees

If you’ve been dismissed

If you’ve been dismissed, you might be entitled to redundancy and other related payments from the Insolvency Service.

The amount the Insolvency Service can pay you is subject to legal limits. Find out how much we can pay you.

We have extra guidance if you were dismissed while being furloughed.

Who is eligible

You can apply to the Insolvency Service for redundancy and other payments if:

• you worked for these companies under an employment contract for 2 or more years
• you live in England, Scotland or Wales

Workers and self-employed contractors who provided services to the company are not eligible to apply. Instead, these individuals should contact the administrator to register as creditors.

The administrator has sent details about how to apply including a case reference number (for example CN12345678). You need the case reference number to apply. If you have not received this, please contact ERA Solutions Limited.

Once you have this information from ERA Solutions Limited, you can apply online.

Paying your claim

We always try to pay eligible claims within 6 weeks of receiving the application.

Please do not contact us to check the status of your application until after the 6 weeks have passed. This will help us deal with everyone’s application as quickly as possible.

We’ll contact you directly if we need anything from you.

Make sure you include your email address when you send in your claim, so we can contact you.

Getting help with your application for redundancy payments

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, our helplines are currently closed. We have guidance on redundancy payments.

If the guidance does not answer your question, or you cannot get online to complete the application, you can email the Redundancy Payments Service for help.

When emailing, please send us your name, case reference number (for example CN12345678) and your telephone number. If you do not have a case reference number, please contact ERA Solutions Limited.

If you need to email us after submitting your claim, please only use the email address you gave on your application form. Otherwise, we won’t be able to respond to you for security reasons.

More information on how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting our services.

More information

Factsheet: finding a new job, managing your finances and benefits available to you (PDF, 487KB, 2 pages)

Information for creditors

You’ll need to register as a creditor in the administration if:

• you haven’t been paid for goods or services you’ve supplied to Specialist Leisure Group Limited or any of the listed subsidiaries
• you’ve paid the companies for goods or services that you have not received

To register, email the administrator.

In your email, please include your company details and what you’re owed.

Information for customers

Gift cards

If you have unused gift vouchers, that were not issued in respect to a cancelled holiday, they do not have any financial protection and you will not be able to claim a full refund for the value of the unused gift vouchers.

Customers with unused gift vouchers, that were not issued for a cancelled holiday, will need to register as creditors.

There are some customers who will have gift vouchers for a cancelled holiday due to COVID-19 which may have financial protection.

Holiday bookings

All holiday bookings have now been cancelled, and all of the companies retail shops will close immediately.

Coach, rail and river travel

You might be covered by certain schemes if you booked:

• a package holiday or tour with coach or rail travel
• a cruise with overnight accommodation

You may need a letter from the Bonded Coach Holidays scheme website to apply for a refund through your credit card company.

Check the websites of The Confederation of Passenger Transport, Bonded Coach Holidays scheme or your card issuer for more information or help.

Flights

If you booked a package that includes a flight, your holiday may be covered by the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Air Travel Organiser’s License scheme, also known as ATOL. The Specialist Leisure Group sold flight inclusive ATOL protected package holidays through Shearings Holidays Ltd – ATOL 1666. Please check your holiday booking documentation for an ATOL certificate to confirm if your holiday is covered.

Customers with ATOL protected bookings will be contacted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority in due course, either directly or via their booking or travel agent, with further information and advice on making a claim for a refund.

Customers with Holiday Credit Notes for cancelled ATOL protected bookings, due to COVID-19, will also be contacted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. More information is available on the CAA website.

If you are due to depart from a UK airport with any Shearings, National Holidays and UK Breakaways holiday, please do not travel to your UK airport as your flight will not be operating and you will not be able to travel. Further information is available from the CAA.

Claiming refunds

Further information on claiming a refund for an ATOL protected holiday is available on the CAA’s website.

ATOL protected customers should not go to their card issuer to claim refunds. The CAA will be contacting all ATOL protected customers and will be paying those who paid on credit card.

If you have booked flights only and are not ATOL protected, you may be able to get your money back by claiming a refund from your card issuer. Please contact your card issuer as soon as possible.

Further information, including time limits that apply, is available from the UK Cards Association’s Credit and debit cards: A consumer guide.

If you have any other type of booking (for example self-drive, hotel breaks or weddings) which do not have financial protection, you should contact your credit or debit card provider.

Holidays booked through Wallace Arnold Travel

All Wallace Arnold Travels shops are now closed. If you bought a holiday with Shearings, National Holidays or UK Breakaways through Wallace Arnold, the advice on this page applies to you.

If you bought a holiday with other tour operators through Wallace Arnold, your holiday booking should not be affected.

If your holiday is with a different tour operator (not the Specialist Leisure Group) please contact them directly regarding your booking. Further information is available from ABTA.

Photo by Editor5807. Used under Creative Commons