Thank you for contacting me about the Test and Trace system.
NHS Test and Trace is essential in our fight against Covid-19 and regular testing is a vital tool to stop transmission as we cautiously ease restrictions. I am extremely proud of the fact that, after building a testing system from scratch, we have carried out over 110m coronavirus tests and have increased PCR test capacity to 800,000 per day. This is more than any other comparable European country, with the UK having the largest testing capacity in Europe.
Protecting communities and saving lives is the Government's first priority and every pound spent on Test and Trace is contributing towards efforts to keep people safe. I firmly support the £22 billion spent during 2020-21 to support this programme, with a further £15 billion budgeted for 2021-22, funding which provides vital support for this crucial service. 80 per cent of NHS Test and Trace’s budget is spent on buying and carrying out coronavirus tests, with the remainder spent on contact tracing and other areas of the programme.
The Government is now providing regular rapid testing for NHS and care home staff, thousands of businesses where employees cannot work from home, teachers and secondary school children and their parents. Regular rapid testing identifies new cases of the virus we would not otherwise find, preventing the spread of the disease and saving lives.
NHS Test and Trace is successfully reaching over 90 per cent of the contacts of positive cases - with 98 per cent being contacted within 24 hours, and the contact tracing service has already reached more than 9.1m cases and contacts, making a real impact in breaking chains of transmission.
Serco and Sitel: Testing and NHS Test and Trace services are being provided through the NHS, and while it is true that providers like Serco and Sitel are working with the public sector to deliver these services, I am confident that these providers will be held to the highest standards to ensure that the best service possible is delivered. It is a testament to the ingenuity of British businesses that they have been able to adapt existing resources in a time of great need for the country, and I am extremely grateful to all organisations that have offered their services at this time.
A Full Fact article (Full Fact is an independent investigative project) correcting the erroneous claims about Test and Trace made by some Opposition politicians and others can be found here and a link to the report of the National Audit Office can be found here.
On Serco specifically, Full Fact notes that 'the NAO found that, by the end of October 2020, it had signed contracts for services associated with Test and Trace valued at £277 million, for contact tracing and managing some testing centres. At that point, the total spend on Test and Trace was £4 billion.
This means claims from Mr Corbyn that £37 billion is being found to pay Serco, or from Ms Reeves that Test and Trace is “Serco-led” are misleading.'
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
April 2021