Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding he has allocated to NHS labs for Pillar 1 covid-19 testing.

This year’s Budget announced a £12 billion plan to provide support for public services, individuals and businesses, whose finances are affected by COVID-19. This includes funding to ensure the National Health Service and other public services receive the funding they need to respond to the outbreak as the situation develops and recover and return to normal afterwards.

The breakdown of the expenditure for the 2020/2021 financial year will be published as part of the Department’s 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts, expected in July 2021. The Department is unable to circulate this information prior to publication. The data will be fully verified and audited as part of the exercise.