Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the seven contracts for Genomics Laboratory Hubs with Additional Specialised Services have been awarded; and how many of the seven hubs will be fully operational on the scheduled date of 1 October 2018.

As part of the Genomic Testing Services procurement NHS England is procuring Genomic Laboratory Hubs to act as a national network to deliver an equitable national genomic testing service. The procurement was launched in December 2017. The Genomic Testing Services Procurement through which the Genomic Laboratory Hubs are being procured is in its final stages and is still in a confidential phase of the process.

Once the procurement has been finalised NHS England will make an announcement on the outcome of the procurement. NHS England will work with the successful bidders on a mobilisation plan covering the time period from 1 October 2018 to 1 April 2019.