Covid-19: PCR and Lateral Flow Test Providers Debate

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Department: Department of Health and Social Care

Covid-19: PCR and Lateral Flow Test Providers

Lord Watts Excerpts
Monday 13th December 2021

(2 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Kamall Portrait Lord Kamall (Con)
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I am sorry to disappoint the noble Lord; I do not personally monitor this, but I will get the figures and write to him.

Lord Watts Portrait Lord Watts (Lab)
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My Lords, can the Minister explain the wide difference in price from these companies? It seems to the general public that some are ripping clients off, but the Government do not seem to want to do anything about it.

Lord Kamall Portrait Lord Kamall (Con)
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One of the issues the Government have is that the GOV.UK website is pretty rudimentary. As this market develops over time, more and more people will look to private comparison websites—noble Lords have mentioned a few of them. It is also important to distinguish between the different types of PCR test. Some companies charge far more but offer a much quicker turnaround than those whose service might take a few days.