Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's Living with COVID-19 plan, published on 21 February 2022, which states that free testing will be available from 1 April 2022 for a small number of at-risk groups, whether his Department plans to provide financial support to people who wish to purchase covid-19 tests privately but are unable to afford them; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the mental health and wellbeing of immunocompromised people of their relatives and friends potentially limiting contact with them after 1 April 2022 as a result of being unable to access free covid-19 tests.

Our guidance will make clear that in most circumstances, people will not need to test. The Government will enable COVID-19 tests to be made available for those who wish to purchase them through the private market. We are working with retailers and pharmacies to establish the private market in testing and reducing the cost of private testing to ensure it is affordable.

Further details on which at-risk groups will be eligible for tests will be available in due course. We will keep the impact of these COVID-19 policies on people such as those who are immunocompromised under review.