Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with authorities in Sheffield or South Yorkshire about mass testing of their populations for COVID-19; and if discussions have taken place, what response they received from those authorities.
We are already working closely with local authority leaders to tailor testing to local need. Eighty three local authorities have now signed up to receive regular batches of these new lateral flow tests, which can allow for results in minutes to enable them to start testing priority groups, including in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. This rollout will further develop the evidence base for how testing with fast, reliable COVID-19 tests can be delivered at scale.