Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing an exemption for people travelling abroad for medical reasons to use NHS covid-19 tests for test to release once back in the UK.
The Government has no plans to permit the use of NHS Test and Trace COVID-19 tests for test to release. These tests are available for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who are clinically advised to take a COVID-19 test.
Under the test to release scheme, arrivals can choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test, unless they have been in a country that is on the travel ban ‘red list’ in the 10 days before their arrival in England.