Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the effect on covid-19 transmission of requiring a negative covid-19 lateral flow test for entrance into venues.

Negative test results provide a level of assurance that an individual is not infectious when the test is taken and for a short time afterwards. The more recently a test is taken, the more assured an individual can be that any result is a valid reflection of their infectiousness.

Overall, introducing vaccine or test certification helps to reduce risks in affected settings when compared with no intervention. However, it does not eliminate the possibility of infectious people attending or transmitting the virus in these settings so individuals should continue to exercise caution.

Mandating vaccine or test certification has helped to ensure that settings that have experienced long periods of closure remain open. It was preferable to closing venues entirely or reimposing capacity caps or social distancing.

On 19 January 2022, the Government announced the end of mandatory certification requirements to access certain settings. From 27 January 2022, venues will no longer be legally required to check the NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry.