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Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 14th July 2022

Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the total cost to the public purse of covid-19 tests bought by his Department since March 2020 which expired before use.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 14th July 2022

Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to repurpose any covid-19 tests it holds once expired.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The UK Health Security Agency is considering options for stock approaching its expiry date. Any disposal of obsolete stock will be managed in accordance with the principles of managing public money and the waste hierarchy, to ensure the most environmentally sustainable route and value for money.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 7th July 2022

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

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 continue to enable access to covid-19 testing for people working in health and care settings over autumn 2022.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Symptomatic testing in high-risk health and care settings will continue for certain groups where infection can spread rapidly among people who may be at higher risk of serious illness. Additionally, during periods of high prevalence, asymptomatic testing will continue in high-risk settings.

The Government continues to review this response to ensure it remains effective and proportionate. We will monitor prevalence and other factors which will determine whether asymptomatic testing is required in high-risk settings in autumn 2022.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Monday 4th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 17 May (HL71), what is the average rate of staff turnover within the Coronavirus Test Device Approval team since its implementation; and what steps they are taking to ensure that this does not affect the ability of the review team, including new scientific advisors, to address the ongoing COVID diagnostics application backlog.

Answered by Lord Kamall

We are unable to provide the information requested on average staff turnover as it is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The number of scientific advisors has remained stable. There are six new posts currently advertised to recruit permanent civil servants as scientific advisors, to replace contractors in these roles. In addition, organisational learning is being recorded to ensure continuity, including a new management information system and appropriate handover periods as staff are replaced.


Written Question
Coronavirus and Influenza: Screening
Monday 4th July 2022

Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Academy of Medical Sciences report, COVID-19: Preparing for the future, what steps his Department is taking to integrate multiplex testing that can distinguish between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in primary and community care settings to help to reduce the transmission of both viruses.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Throughout the pandemic, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has made COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow device (LFD) tests available for primary care, as clinically required. The UKHSA continues to provide LFD and PCR testing for individuals in high-risk settings, including in primary and community care.

Multiplex testing is available to primary and community care services through National Health Service laboratories, which accelerates access to diagnostics and enables effective management of respiratory infections. While the UKHSA keeps the deployment of multiplex testing in primary care settings under review, there are no current plans for its provision in primary care settings.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Disease Control
Monday 27th June 2022

Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for covid-19 related offences in England and Wales in 2021.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions for covid-19 related offences, in England and Wales, up to December 2021, in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1076459/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-v2.xlsx.

In the “Prosecutions and Convictions” worksheet, use the Home Office offence code filter to select the following offences:

  • 16857 - Failure to comply with screening restriction/requirement (coronavirus)
  • 16858 - Operator of Port fails to comply with direction under Coronavirus Act 2020
  • 16859 - Offences by potentially infectious persons (coronavirus)
  • 16860 - Breach of emergency period restrictions (coronavirus)
  • 16861 - Offences in relation to events and gatherings (coronavirus)

Figures for prosecutions and convictions populate rows 24 and 25 respectively.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will investigate reports that only Randox covid-19 PCR were accepted for those re-entering the UK during November 2021.

Answered by Maggie Throup

We have no plans to do so. In November 2021, lateral flow device (LFD) tests were accepted for arrivals from all non-‘red list’ countries, with approximately 50 LFD test providers available via GOV.UK.

From 27 November 2021, we announced all arrivals from non-red list countries were required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test up to day two after arrival and self-isolate until a negative test result is confirmed. As of this date, there were more than 400 PCR test providers available, including Randox, supplying tests accepted on arrival in the United Kingdom.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)

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 in response to the NHS not accepting some covid-19 home testing kits because they have four letters on the test strip ID rather than three.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Tests with four letters on the ID strip are privately purchased lateral flow device (LFD) tests which cannot currently be registered on GOV.UK. Free LFD tests can be registered on GOV.UK and eligible individuals should continue to do so. The registration of the different types of COVID-19 tests is currently under review.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Monday 13th June 2022

Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)

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 effect of removing the capacity to register covid-19 lateral flow tests.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Free lateral flow device test results can be reported through GOV.UK. Surveillance capabilities will remain, including the COVID-19 Infection Survey population level survey, genomic sequencing and additional data. This will be supported by continuing the SIREN and Vivaldi studies.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Monday 13th June 2022

Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of randomised covid-19 testing for international travellers arriving in the UK.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government considered a number of potential border measures, including randomised COVID-19 testing of international arrivals. In considering any intervention, the Government’s objective is to pursue the least interventionist measure necessary to protect public health and minimise the impact on travel and on the taxpayer. To delay any future harmful variants of COVID-19 entering the United Kingdom, we are maintaining a range of contingency measures.