Asked by: Viscount Camrose (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 lateral flow test kits they purchased since January 2020; what was the total cost of those tests; how many tests were distributed; and what estimate they have made of how many were used.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department purchased approximately 2.6 billion lateral flow device (LFD) tests between September 2020 and March 2022. It is not possible to provide data for April 2022 and beyond at this time as it is not yet validated for release. We are unable to provide the information requested on the total costs of LFD tests as this information is commercially sensitive.
A table showing the number of LFD tests distributed up until May 2022 is attached. Whilst we collect data on tests recorded, this data does not necessarily equate to used tests as not everybody records the results of tests that they have used.