Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the guidelines in place to ensure that travel PCR test providers meet the timeframes advertised on their websites in respect of the (a) delivery of and (b) processing of those tests.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 and The Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 provide the legal framework for the minimum standards required from private testing providers. This includes meeting the required timetable for testing. For polymerase chain reaction testing, this states that the maximum time for providers to return the test result to the consumer is 48 hours from receipt of the sample at the laboratory. A provider may be removed from GOV.UK on a precautionary basis pending investigation if it is believed to be risking public safety and not meeting the minimum standards. Local Trading Standards are responsible for formal proceedings.