Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department applied in the decision making process for the automatic approval extension of lateral flow tests, previously approved until 4 February 2022.

Tests with a current Coronavirus Test Device Approvals application have been allowed to remain on the market until 28 February 2022 or until their application is determined. This was permitted to avoid a serious public health risk during a period of high demand and where the tests had successfully undergone validation by a public sector body.