ANOTHER FINES MESS!
First Hancock suggests a review of penalties... then No10 says no. It’s all...
MATT Hancock was slapped down by No 10 yesterday after suggesting penalty fines imposed on families who had travelled for childcare would be reviewed.
In a clear reference to dominic Cummings’ 260-mile dash to durham, the Health Secretary was asked whether the Government would review any fines which had been sent out.
Mr Hancock said he would take the issue to the Treasury and vowed to give a ‘full answer’ in writing and promised to make an announcement on the issue at a future Press conference.
However, No 10 last night insisted a review was not taking place and that the situation remained unchanged.
Reverend Martin Poole, from Brighton, asked: ‘Will the Government review all penalty fines imposed on families travelling for childcare purposes during lockdown?’
Mr Hancock replied: ‘It’s a very good question and we do understand the impact and the need for making sure that children get adequate childcare. That is one of the significant concerns that we have had all the way through this.
‘And so, I think, especially, coming from a man of the cloth, I think that is perfectly reasonable to take away that question. I’ll have to talk to my Treasury colleagues before I can answer it in full. And we’ll look at it. And if we can get your details we’ll make sure that we write to you with a full answer, and make an announcement from this podium. I think we can make that commitment.’
Speaking after the Press conference, Rev Poole said: ‘It wasn’t much of an answer was it?
‘I understand that Matt Hancock wouldn’t have the information at his fingertips and I hope they do look into it and come back with a response.’
Asked why he felt compelled to ask the question, he said: ‘I like many, many other people in the country feel a sense of unfairness about what’s been going on over the weekend and that the Government should be asked to abide by the same standards as the rest of us, and certainly if people are making journeys for similar reasons they shouldn’t be penalised for it.’
Asked if he was hearing anger from local people or parishioners, Rev Poole said: ‘Certainly my social media feeds are completely full of people outraged at the unfairness of everything at the moment.’
Commenting on Mr Johnson’s handling of the situation, he said: ‘I think it’s been very unfortunate. I think the statement [on Monday] clarified things a little and it would have been better if he’d have done something clearer than that at the beginning. But it’s not been a very clear message, has it?’ Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor for north-west England, said yesterday that an ‘inordinate amount of time has been spent enforcing the restrictions’ and any potential review of fines ‘all over one man’ would be a ‘scandalous waste of time and money’.
He said: ‘There is no process by which a review could take place, there would have to be a retrospective change in the law which would enable these penalty fines to be reviewed.’
He added that the row over Mr Cummings risked damaging public confidence and public health, saying: ‘We rely on people to comply, and why should they?’
Mr Afzal said if he was a lawyer defending an alleged lockdown-breacher he would currently be printing out tweets from Government figures defending Cummings and ‘I would be using that in my defence for every single case brought before the court’.
‘Risked damaging public health’