MPs will have weekly flu update throughout summer recess

Published on Thursday 16 July 2009 22:01

A WEEKLY update for MPs, showing how the swine flu pandemic is spreading across their constituencies, was promised yesterday by Commons Leader Harriet Harman.

She said the data would be released to them "as a matter of routine" and they would not need to ask for it.

She also told MPs the government's emergency committee, Cobra, would meet fortnightly over the summer as it continued to monitor the situation.

Ms Harman was responding to concerns that MPs might not be kept informed through the long summer break.

She said: "Cobra will be meeting fortnightly throughout the recess. The Secretary of State for Health (Andy Burnham] hopes to update the House before the House rises.

"He is considering how he keeps members informed during this recess… all honourable members will get a weekly update for figures in their constituency, which will come from the strategic health authority and/or the primary care trust."

She added that technology, such as telephone conferencing, would be used for MPs in areas that were particularly affected.

GPs yesterday criticised the government's response to the flu pandemic, accusing it of providing conflicting advice to doctors and patients.

The Royal College of GPs is collecting feedback from family doctors on issues arising from the outbreak. It comes after GPs saw a leap of almost 50 per cent in the past week in the number of people contacting them with fears they have swine flu.