Covid: UK Government urged to reduce staff in DVLA Swansea HQ

The UK Government has been asked to reduce the number of people working at the DVLA headquarters by a Welsh MP.

Geraint Davies said the DVLA offices in Swansea has had 526 Covid cases since September - while the DVLA had said one worker had died with coronavirus.

The Swansea West MP said 250 people were working on site last March, but now that number is in the thousands.

Boris Johnson said at Prime Minister's Questions all staff who can work from home, were working from home.

The Prime Minister also told the House of Commons that the long-term solution was vaccination.

The coronavirus outbreak was declared at the offices in the Clase area of Swansea in December after 352 cases in the space of four months.

Speaking at Prime Minister's questions, Labour MP Mr Davies said thousands were now working at the site "facing a more infectious and widespread disease."

"Yesterday 90 people were sent home following the latest outbreak of coronavirus just before the weekend," he told the Commons.

"Given that BT are on standby to install home secure technology to allow home working, will the Prime Minister meet with me and the union ahead of the strike ballot next week so that workplace numbers can be reduced until the vaccine is rolled out to keep people safe and avoid an unnecessary strike?"

The Prime Minister responded that "to the best of my knowledge" out of the workforce of 6,000 there were "thankfully" only nine cases of Covid now and three of those individuals were currently working from home.

Mr Johnson said that the DVLA was pursuing a working from home strategy.

He added the UK government was "rolling out lateral flow tests" but said the "long term solution" was vaccinating people.