Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for announcing the eligibility criteria for free covid-19 lateral flow testing after 1 April 2022.

From 1 April 2022, free universal access to asymptomatic and symptomatic tests for the public in England ended. The Government will continue to provide free symptomatic testing for patients in hospital, for whom a test is required for clinical management or to support treatment pathways. Free testing will be available for people who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments due to a higher risk of becoming seriously ill and those who live or work in high-risk closed settings to minimise outbreaks. Asymptomatic lateral flow testing will continue from April in some high-risk settings where infection can spread rapidly while prevalence is high.