Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what private sector bodies are involved in the operation of the higher education covid-19 asymptomatic testing programme.

Over 200 higher education institutions are involved in the UK Health Security Agency’s asymptomatic testing programme, operating within the Standard Operating Procedures. Due to the diversity of organisations on the programme, there is scope within the Standard Operating Procedures for institutions to engage private sector bodies in the delivery of their testing programmes.