Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many home testing kits for COVID-19 have been (1) returned in an untestable state and (2) not returned.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The ratio of Home Test Kits being returned to the labs which are untestable is in line with the ratio of clinician-administered tests from other sources that are returned to the labs and untestable. The majority of Home Test Kits are returned, and the ratio of Kits being returned is on an upward trajectory.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise different groups in society as the COVID-19 testing programme expands and the lockdown begins to be lifted and, in particular, whether ethnicity will be a factor in prioritisation.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have rapidly expanded our testing capacity. Further increases are a top priority for the Government, and our overall ambition is to ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one.
As capacity continues to increase, we will consider when we are able to expand eligibility to other groups and the order of prioritisation both between and within groups. Our decisions will continue to be guided by the science and will take account of Public Sector Equality Duties.