Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department is planning to undertake a testing programme to identify cases of the newly identified strain of covid-19 (a) nationally, (b) in Hampshire and (c) in Portsmouth South constituency; and if he will make a statement.

We have found evidence that the new variant of COVID-19 first identified in South Africa has been identified in a small number of localities across England.

Working in partnership with local authorities we are targeting areas within specific postcodes where the variant has been found, including Hampshire County Council. At present Portsmouth is not included in surge testing. We are asking as many people as possible aged 16 years old and over within the target postcodes to get tested even if they are asymptomatic.