Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultants they have used in the (1) planning, and (2) rollout, of the COVID-19 test and trace system.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Around 2500 consultants from approximately 72 different consultancies have been hired by the Department for any period from 1 March 2020 to the present day to undertake work on the planning and then rollout of the NHS Test and Trace programme. The figures have changed week on week since the programme began. Information how these figures are apportioned between the planning and rollout phases is not held in an appropriate format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
In financial year 20-21, £450 million is budgeted for Professional Services, which includes management consultants. This was revised on 28 Feb 2021 from £438 million. We do not have an audited figure which differentiates between what was spent on the planning and the rollout stages of the Test and Trace Programme. Audited annual accounts will be published later this year for the Test and Trace Programme.
Every consultancy contract awarded by the Department contains a set of service objectives and activities which the suppliers will deliver. These are set out in the individual contracts which are published. The service objectives are linked to the overall programme plan and
business objectives for the Test and Trace initiative. Each contract has a different timeframe for the delivery and completion of its objectives; progress and performance is monitored by regular meetings and engagement with the supplier.
£450 million of the £22 billion funding for Test and Trace, is allocated to ‘professional services’ which includes management consultants. Audited annual accounts will be published later this year for the Test and Trace Programme.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Sheffield City Council has instructed care homes in Sheffield not to use COVID-19 lateral flow tests for admitting visitors due to concerns that such tests lack accuracy.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are aware of reports that Sheffield City Council communicated with care homes about the sensitivity of rapid lateral flow tests. However, the Council issued clear advice in line with national policy on 11 December 2020. The Department continues to engage with local authorities to assure their local recommendations remain aligned to the Department’s testing policy.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 8 January (HL11702), what is the source of those data presented at COVID-19 press conferences which show the percentage of people testing positive in the community for the new variant in English regions; and why those data are not held by Public Health England.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The source of the data presented at the COVID-19 press conferences was the Office for National Statistics’ COVID infection survey. Since 19 January 2021, Public Health England has published twice weekly data on the number of genomically confirmed cases testing positive for one of the new COVID-19 variants. This includes information for England and the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that vulnerable patients who cannot travel to vaccination hubs are vaccinated for COVID-19 in the community.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Local vaccination services are led by Primary Care Networks and are well placed to support the specific needs of the highest risk individuals. They also coordinate and deliver vaccinations to people who are unable to attend a vaccination site, including visiting care homes, the homes of housebound individuals and other settings to reach the most vulnerable groups.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the memorandum of understanding between the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Police Chiefs Council, which allows police to access NHS Test and Trace data; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department and the police is currently being updated to reflect amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 on 29 January and feedback from the Information Commissioners Office. These updates are currently being agreed by all parties and the MoU will be published as soon as practically possible.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people employed by NHS Test and Trace have left their roles; and how many such people were subject to the Business Appointment Rules for Civil Servants.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The NHS Test and Trace workforce consists of a combination of; civil servants employed by the programme and also on loan from across Government, secondees from the public and private sector, contractors and consultants. Since May 2020 our data shows that a total of 630 people have left their role on NHS Test and Trace. 220 of these were civil servants, of which 19 have left the Civil Service completely and are therefore subject to the Business Appointment Rules.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in (1) mass vaccination hubs, (2) GP surgeries, and (3) community pharmacies.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Waiting times at individual vaccination sites are not collected centrally by NHS England and NHS Improvement. However, it is important to keep waiting times to a minimum. To support this, the national vaccination booking system has been set up so that specific time slots can be booked in advance based on a site’s capacity.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many GP surgeries have had to stop administering COVID-19 vaccines due to supply shortages; and what is the average time they have had to suspend vaccinations in such instances.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The information requested is not collected centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost. Each week, all available vaccine is allocated, so local vaccine services are supplied with the vaccine as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the scientific basis for the decision that gyms may remain open in Blackburn but have been closed in Wirral.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Hygiene and social distancing measures are vitally important for reducing the transmission risk of COVID-19. We know that the virus spreads readily in any indoor environment where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together, so the transmission risk in indoor settings, such as gyms, remains high.
We recognise the efforts that have been made to reduce risk across a range of venues. As decisions are based on a number of factors, it is possible for variation to exist between different local authority areas.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care spoke with representatives of (1) Tulchan Group, and (2) Meller Designs, on 6 April; and if so, whether (a) the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) was discussed, (b) whether any records were kept of that discussion, and (c) whether the contact details of anyone working for the Government on the procurement of PPE was given to any such representatives.
Answered by Lord Bethell
I did not meet with any representative of Tulchan Group on 6 April.
I spoke with a representative of Meller Designs on 6 April to discuss the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). A draft note of the meeting was made. The representative of Meller Designs was already in contact with Government officials involved in the procurement of PPE.