Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to reduce the costs of NHS Test and Trace.

NHS Test and Trace activities transferred to the UK Health Security Agency with effect from 1 October 2021. The recent Spending Review confirmed £9.6 billion for key COVID-19 programmes and related health spending. This allows for a reduced test and trace programme and will reduce costs from the £15 billion allocated in 2021/22. Plans are being developed to determine how best to reduce costs and activities to operate within a lower funding allocation from April 2022.

However, in line with the approach taken throughout the pandemic, the response will be kept under review and cross-Government discussions are ongoing to determine the appropriate level of COVID-19 test, trace and isolate activities.