Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have downloaded the NHS covid-19 app (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the population in Wakefield since that app was launched.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 28 October, the NHS COVID-19 app has been downloaded over 19.22 million times. This figure covers both England and Wales.
The app has been designed with user privacy in mind. We do not hold exact data on app downloads by local area.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2020 to Question 98750, what steps he is taking to address the inability of 87 per cent of iOS and 93 per cent of Android smartphone users to use the NHS Covid 19 app; and what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports that the number of users in those categories amounts to 3.7 million people.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest data from Apple and Google indicate that 87% of iOS smartphone users and 93% of Android smartphone users in the UK currently do have access to a smartphone that is able to install a version of the operating system with the contact tracing technology the NHS Covid-19 app uses. We have always known that some phones would not be able to support the app because of the hardware needed for this Bluetooth technology to work effectively. This is the same in all countries with apps using the Google and Apple exposure notification API for contact tracing.
The NHS COVID-19 app is only one part of the wider NHS Test and Trace system and for those who cannot use the app, advice is available via NHS 119 and the phone-based contact tracing system. People who do not have a compatible smartphone will still benefit from other people downloading it. The estimate of 3.7 million people being unable to use the app as they do not have a compatible smartphone is derived from the above data from Apple and Google, and data from the Office for National Statistics that indicate that 79% of adults in the United Kingdom have a smartphone.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that data protection is maintained in the NHS covid-19 app.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS COVID-19 app has been designed to use the minimum possible personal data or information. Expertise from across the United Kingdom Government and industry, including the National Cyber Security Centre, has been utilised to review our design and to help test and improve the app.
The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy to measure the distance between phones with the app downloaded, but it will never access location, contacts, or any other personal data saved in a phone.
There is an ongoing programme of monitoring and assessment to make sure that user data is safe and secure and to ensure that the app complies with protective measures established by data protection law.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been notified by the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app to self-isolate to date.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is underway to establish what information can be published about app usage and its role in the COVID-19 response, including information related to self-isolation taking in to account that users of the app are anonymous.
Asked by: Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much (1) has been spent to date, and (2) they estimate will be spent this financial year, on the NHS Test and Trace service.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The spend across Test and Trace for the year to September is £2.7 billion. The Government's winter plan announced an additional £7 billion of funding which will allow NHS Test and Trace to increase testing and continue to improve contact tracing, taking the overall budget for Test and Trace this financial year to £22 billion.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been asked to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace app since its launch.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is underway to establish what information can be published about app usage and its role in the COVID-19 response, including information related to self-isolation taking in to account that users of the app are anonymous.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to enable people with older mobile operating systems to access the NHS track and trace app.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service COVID-19 app requires users to be owners of smartphones that can install Apple iOS 13.5 and above and Android Marshmallow and above. This is related to the hardware needed for this Bluetooth technology to work effectively and is the same in all countries with apps using the Google and Apple exposure notification API for contact tracing.
People who do not have a compatible smartphone will still benefit from the app and from other people downloading it. This is because people who use the app are helping to break chains of transmission.
The app complements and supports regular contact tracing. They work together to protect vulnerable groups, including those who are unable, or do not wish, to use digital tools, including the app.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 1 October (HL Deb col 287), how they calculated the figure that 89 per cent of the population have telephones whose hardware and software is compatible with the NHS COVID-19 application; and what assessment they have made of the accuracy of this calculation in the light of (1) Office for National Statistics data on smartphone ownership, and (2) reports of the application's lack of compatibility with some smartphone operating systems.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Estimates using the latest data directly from Apple and Google show that 89% of people with a smartphone in the United Kingdom are able to use the app. These are a device that can install a version of the iOS or Android operating system with the contact tracing technology the National Health Service COVID-19 app uses. For Apple this is iOS versions 13.5 and higher and for Android version Marshmallow (v6.0) and higher. The 89% estimate is made up of 87% of iOS smartphone owners and 93% of Android smartphone owners.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 97686 on Contact Tracing: Computer Software, tabled on 30 September 2020 by the hon. Member for Bath.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions 97685 and 97686 of 9 and 10 November respectively.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 97685 on Contact Tracing: Computer Software, tabled on 30 September 2020 by the hon. Member for Bath.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions 97685 and 97686 of 9 and 10 November respectively.