Covid-19 Update

Holly Mumby-Croft Excerpts
Monday 19th April 2021

(3 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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This is obviously a matter for powers greater than the Health Department. It is something that the Prime Minister has clearly set out his views on, and that is what I will stick by.

Holly Mumby-Croft Portrait Holly Mumby-Croft (Scunthorpe) (Con)
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Along with the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on brain tumours, my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Derek Thomas), I have previously raised the issue of residents who travel abroad for medical treatment having to pay hundreds of pounds for covid tests to travel out and to return. This is affecting my constituent, David Hopkins, and others across the country. Will the Health Secretary work with the Secretary of State for Transport urgently to find a way to allow patients such as David to use free NHS tests for medical travel purposes?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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My hon. Friend raises an important point, and I am happy to look into it. I am also pleased that the cost of the tests that are needed for travel is coming down, and an important piece of work is under way to see how we can get that down further. Nevertheless, my hon. Friend makes a strong case for her constituent.