Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the 18,000 contract tracers to be recruited will be (a) under a contract with private sector organisations and (b) located in communities.

We are in the process of recruiting 18,000 staff to support enhanced contact tracing, and that number will be increased if needed. This will be a mix of call handlers (approximately 15,000) and health professionals (approximately 3,000). Call handlers are being sourced from the commercial sector and the recruitment of health professionals is being overseen by NHS Professionals. This is in addition to existing public health experts from Public Health England and local government.

The work undertaken by the 18,000 additional staff will primarily be phone-based and these staff will be home or office based. Experts from Public Health England and local government will be nationally, regionally and locally based.