Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the number of false positive test results from covid-19 testing in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I are working closely with the First Minister, deputy First Minister and the rest of the Executive on the response to Covid-19.

As my honourable Friend will be aware, health is a devolved matter. In May, the Department of Health published the Covid-19 Test, Trace and Protect Strategy, which is led by the Public Health Agency.

Testing has always been a critical part of the UK’s response. The Testing Strategy in Northern Ireland is aligned with the UK strategic approach, and through working with a number of key stakeholders and delivery partners across the Health and Social Care Sector, local universities and industry, testing capacity has increased significantly.

As with any diagnostic test there is always the small possibility of a false negative or a false positive result. All tests have been assessed as performing to manufacturers’ specifications before being used.