I wish to update the House on the joint initiative between the Department for Transport and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on planning reforms for lorry parking, and to emphasise the critical importance of the freight and logistics sector to shops, households, assembly lines, hospitals and other public services across the country.

The infrastructure that supports our hauliers is essential to the effective and resilient supply chains we need. This government is committed to addressing the strategic national need for more lorry parking and better services in lorry parks in England and we must act now.

To support our hauliers’ access to parking and services in the near term we are working with our partners to identify and deliver a number of temporary sites where short-term modular facilities can be installed to address some of our immediate need. We are encouraging National Highways to consider how their land holdings can be used to provide additional parking spaces nationwide, to give priority to the provision of lorry parking across the Strategic Road Network and assist local authorities in identifying areas of lorry parking need.

This government is also determined that the planning system should play its part in meeting the needs of hauliers and addressing current deficiencies. Planning plays a critical part in the allocation of land for lorry parking.

The National planning policy framework sets out that local planning policies and decisions should recognise the importance of providing adequate overnight lorry parking facilities, taking into account any local shortages, to reduce the risk of parking in locations that lack proper facilities or could cause a nuisance. Proposals for new or expanded distribution centres should make provision for sufficient lorry parking to cater for their anticipated use.

In addition, the government’s policy is clear that development proposals for new or expanded goods distribution centres should make provision for sufficient lorry parking to cater for their anticipated use. In preparing local plans and deciding planning applications, the specific locational requirements of different industrial sectors should be recognised and addressed. This should include making provision for storage and distribution operations at a variety of scales, and in suitably accessible locations.

We have also published planning practice guidance setting out how local planning authorities can assess the need for and allocate land to logistics site uses and are accelerating work recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission to consider the appropriateness of current planning practice guidance. This includes taking forward a review of how the freight sector is currently represented in guidance.

To ensure future decision-making supports the needs of the sector, we are updating Highways Circular 02/2013 The Strategic Road Network and the delivery of sustainable development fully to reflect the importance of providing logistics and freight, and are updating the National lorry parking survey to ensure strong evidence is available on the national picture in future. A programme of longer-term measures is under development supported by the £32.5 million in roadside facilities for hauliers announced in last week’s budget and we will publish a future of freight plan, a long-term strategic plan for the sector, in coming months.

The need for a reliable and efficient supply chain has recently come into sharp focus. It is therefore essential that we put in place mechanisms that deliver a supply chain network that is secure, reliable, efficient, and resilient, with no link in the chain overlooked.

Taken together our planning policies and wider measures will support our logistics and freight sectors and the people that work in them. Working with industry and local authorities we will continue to monitor the situation closely and take further action when it is needed.

From 4am on Monday 22 November, the government will recognise vaccines on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL). As a result, Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin will be added to our list of approved vaccines for inbound travel, benefitting more fully vaccinated people from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and India. The US also recognises the vaccines on the WHO EUL for inbound travel.

Passengers who have been fully vaccinated and have received their vaccine certificate from one of over 135 approved countries and territories are not required to take a pre-departure test, day 8 test or self-isolate upon arrival. Instead, passengers will just need to pay for a lateral flow test to take before the end of their second day, post-arrival.

From 4am on Monday 22 November, we will recognise the following vaccines: Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca (including Covishield), Moderna and Janssen (J&J), and WHO EUL including Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin.

This comes as the government simplifies travel rules for all under-18s coming to England who will be treated as fully vaccinated at the border and will be exempt from self-isolation requirements on arrival, day 8 testing and pre-departure testing. They will only be required to take 1 post-arrival test and a confirmatory free PCR test if they test positive.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

As we continue to recover from the pandemic and expand our recognition of international vaccines, today’s announcements mark the next step in our restart of international travel.

By also simplifying the rules for international travel for all under-18s coming to England, we’re bringing further good news for families looking to unite with loved ones, and another great boost for the travel sector.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Today’s announcement is another step forward for the travel industry, businesses and for family and friends wanting to reunite or go abroad.

The red list and quarantine system remain vital in protecting our borders and as we’ve said we will not hesitate to take action by adding countries to the red list if necessary.

The government keeps its border measures under review, including the red list, and will impose restrictions should there be a need to do so to protect public health.

The WHO EUL Procedure was brought in during the 2014 Ebola outbreak to assess vaccines for use and to support countries in accessing vaccines (and other selected products) during public health emergencies. Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin are covered by the expansion to the WHO EUL, and around 1 billion doses of these vaccines have been delivered worldwide.

The news follows the recent removal of all countries and territories from the red list, though managed quarantine policy remains in place and we will continue to review the red list every 3 weeks.

Mr Speaker, with permission, I’d like to make a statement on the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller – and the government’s next steps.

In recent days, the courts have heard about a series of David Fuller’s shocking and depraved offences. The legal process is ongoing as you have just said Mr Speaker.

David Fuller is yet to be sentenced so there are some things it would be inappropriate for me to talk about at this time.

I’m sure the House will understand why the majority of my statement will focus on the steps we’re taking in response to these crimes and not the crimes themselves.

But before I do so, I will briefly update the House on this shocking case.

In December last year, David Fuller was charged with the murder of two young women, Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce, in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent in 1987.

Last week he pleaded guilty to their murders.

My thoughts, and I’m sure the thoughts of the whole House, are with Wendy and Caroline’s family and friends. As well as this, the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate has been carrying out an investigation into his offences in hospital settings, between 2008 and 2020.

As a result, Fuller was charged with a series of shocking offences, involving sexual offences committed in a hospital mortuary.

And he has also pleaded guilty to these offences.

As sentencing has yet to take place it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the particular case. But I will say this, in light of what has happened, the Justice Secretary will be looking at whether the sentencing that is currently available for such egregious sexual offences is appropriate.

Mr Speaker, it has taken months of painstaking work to uncover the extent of this man’s offending.

And the fact that these offences took place in a hospital – a place where all of us should feel safe and free from harm – makes this case all the more harrowing.

This has been an immensely distressing investigation and I would like to thank the Police for the diligent and sensitive way they’ve approached it.

They’ve shown the utmost professionalism in the most upsetting of circumstances and I would like to thank them for their work.

I would also like to thank the local NHS Trust – Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells – for co-operating so closely with the Police.

Mr Speaker, officers have tragically found evidence of 100 victims.

Of these victims, 81 have been formally identified, and specially trained family liaison officers have been supporting their families.

Every family of a known victim has been contacted.

We’ve been working closely with the Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the NHS trust to make sure that those families who’ve been directly affected receive the 24/7 support that they need including access to dedicated caseworkers and mental health support and counselling.

If anyone else is concerned that they or their loved ones may be a victim – or has any further information – they should search online for the Major Incident Police Portal and select “Kent Police” and “Operation Sandpiper”. I know how distressing the details of these offences will be for many people.

The local NHS Trust has put arrangements in place to support staff who’ve been affected.

And regardless of whether someone has been directly impacted by these offences or not they can access the resources on the My Support Space website.

Mr Speaker, this is a profoundly upsetting case, that has involved distressing offences within our health service. The victims are not just those family members and friends who have been abused in this most horrific of ways – they are also those left behind.

People who’ve already experienced such loss and now experience unimaginable pain and anger.

They are victims too.

Even as we look into exactly what has happened as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, I want to apologise to the friends and families of all the victims for the crimes perpetrated in the care of the NHS and for the hurt and suffering they are feeling.

Mr Speaker, I know that no apology can undo the pain and suffering caused by these offences.

But with such serious issues of dignity and security, we have a duty to look at what happened – in detail – and make sure it never happens again.

So I would like to update the House on the steps we’re taking.

First, NHS England has written to all NHS Trusts asking for mortuary access and post-mortem activities to be reviewed against current guidance from the Human Tissue Authority.

Trusts have also been asked to review their ways of working, and take a number of extra steps, including making sure that they have effective CCTV coverage is in place, that entry and access points are controlled with swipe access, and that appropriate DBS checks and risk assessments are being carried out.

NHS England will report directly to me with assurances that these measures have been taken.

So that we can be confident that the highest standards are being followed and that we’re maintaining security, and upholding the dignity of the deceased.

Next, the local Trust has been putting its own steps in place.

They’ve already conducted a peer review of mortuary practice and the Trust initiated an independent investigation into these specific offences.

I would like to thank the Trust for its leadership for its quick initial work to set up the investigation.

But Mr Speaker, given the scale and nature of these sexual offences, I believe we must go further.

Today, I can announce I am replacing the Trust Investigation with an Independent Inquiry.

The Inquiry will look into the circumstances surrounding the offences committed at the hospital, and their national implications.

It will help us understand how these offences took place without detection in the Trust, identify any areas where early action by this Trust was necessary and then consider wider national issues – including for the NHS. I have appointed Sir Jonathan Michael to Chair this inquiry.

Sir Jonathan is an experienced NHS Chief Executive.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and former Chief Executive of three NHS hospital trusts. He had been leading the Trust investigation and will be able to build on some of the work he’s already done. The Inquiry will be independent – and it will report to me as Secretary of State.

I’ve asked Sir Jonathan to split his Inquiry into two parts.

The first: an interim report, which I’ve asked for early in the new year.

The second, a final report, looking at the broader national picture and the wider lessons for the NHS and for other settings.

We will publish the terms of reference in due course and I have also asked Sir Jonathan to discuss with families and other parties to input into that process.

Sir Jonathan’s findings will be public and they will be published.

Mr Speaker, we have a responsibility to everyone affected by these shocking crimes.

To do right by those we’ve lost and those still left behind in their shock and grief.

Nothing that we can say in this place will undo the damage that has been done but we must act to make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again.

I commend this statement to the House.