NHS England does not collect cost information for neurodevelopmental assessments in its ledgers or system reporting.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to neurodevelopmental assessments.

The NHS Constitution already gives patients the legal right to choose the provider and team who will provide their elective care. These rights extend to any provider in England who holds a contract with an ICB, or NHS England, for the service(s) the patient. This includes independent sector providers. Mental health, learning disability and autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services are already in scope of this legislation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The following table shows the proportion of people with diabetes in Ellesmere Port and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board who have received a urine-to-albumin ratio test between January 2021 and March 2022.

Notes:

1. Locations are represented in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) dataset using the Lower Layer Super Output Area of the person in the audit year. A direct mapping of these geographies to a specific town does not exist, meaning that, while the figures provided for Ellesmere Port are likely close to the true value, they should not be considered exact.
2. Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to 5.
3. Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the NDA.
4. ‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the NDA.
5. ‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the NDA.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Steps being taken to remove barriers to attending breast cancer screening in the United Kingdom include continuation of investment in and promoting the use of text message alerts to remind women of upcoming appointments, rolling out local and national media campaigns to raise awareness of the breast screening programme as required and development of improved inclusive information for women.

Evidence demonstrates that continued investment in mobile breast screening units, which the Government supports, is the best way to increase capacity in breast screening while also improving access and addressing health inequalities. As such we have invested £10 million for breast screening units to deliver 29 new breast cancer screening units, 58 remote access upgrades and nearly 70 life-saving service upgrades.

The Government regularly reviews the response to COVID-19 to ensure it remains effective and proportionate. Given the variants which are currently dominant, it would not be cost-effective to provide universal free testing for those not at risk of serious illness. We will continue to make sure that we are prepared in the event of a dangerous new variant, including with testing infrastructure and capabilities.

The trial is due to finish on 31 March 2023 and its findings will be published in due course following its completion.

From 1 April 2022, free universal access to lateral flow device (LFD) tests for the public in England will end. We will continue to make testing available for a small number of at risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be made available in due course. This testing will be provided through LFD and polymerase chain reaction testing. LAMP testing will cease to be used as part of the national testing programme.

From 1 April 2022, free universal access to symptomatic and asymptomatic lateral flow device testing for the general public in England will end. We will continue to provide free testing to a number of at risk groups. Further information on eligible groups will be available in due course.

Following discussions with a range of potential retailers, we expect that a private market will develop, allowing people who wish to continue testing to do so.

Border Force does not collect data on passenger embarkation numbers. Therefore, we do not hold the level of data requested.

Statistics relating to passenger arrivals since the Covid outbreak are published quarterly and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-relating-to-passenger-arrivals-since-the-covid-19-outbreak-november-2021/statistics-relating-to-passenger-arrivals-in-the-united-kingdom-since-the-covid-19-outbreak-november-2021.

The passenger locator form (PLF) is a digital form and can be resubmitted therefore we cannot provide the data requested. All passengers arriving by cruise ship are able to submit their PLF up to 21 days in advance. Cruise companies are also required to introduce a check-in process in the terminals, so PLFs are checked prior to passengers leaving the UK.

The Prime Minister has appointed the Rt Hon Baroness Heather Hallett DBE to chair the public inquiry into COVID-19. The inquiry will be established on a statutory basis, with formal powers, and will begin its work in Spring 2022.

Draft terms of reference will be published in due course, following consultation with Baroness Hallett and ministers from the devolved administrations. As set out in the Prime Minister’s statement on 15 December, Baroness Hallett will then lead a process of public consultation, including with bereaved families and other affected groups, before the terms of reference are finalised.

We have made no specific assessment as we currently have capacity to deliver approximately seven million tests a day in the United Kingdom. Lateral flow device tests can be ordered for home delivery through GOV.UK or via 119.

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.

We have no plans to provide free tests for international travel. Free National Health Service tests cannot be used for travel in order to preserve domestic testing capacity.

We are committed to working with private testing providers to reduce the cost of testing. Since international travel testing requirements were introduced, the average cost of a day two polymerase chain reaction test has decreased to £45 and tests are regularly available from approximately £20. For United Kingdom residents or individuals with residency rights who would suffer severe financial hardship by paying the full cost of their testing fees before they travel, hardship arrangements may be available.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is currently trialling the use of direct LAMP for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities in a small number of restricted pilots. It is also being considered for other appropriate settings. In addition, the UKHSA is undertaking a review into alternatives to swab-based testing including all saliva-based options and other emerging technologies, in all vulnerable settings and populations.

The following table shows the number of lateral flow tests device tests of all types held in stock by the UK Health Security Agency on the dates requested.

The Department has not had specific discussions with stakeholders.

The new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Galen technology was developed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to diagnose prostate cancer. The Galen application increases accuracy and speed of sample testing in suspected cancer cases and provides clinicians with a definitive diagnosis. It also reduces the need for duplicating biopsies and provides earlier diagnosis in positive cases, which improves patient health outcomes.

Imperial College Healthcare, University College London, University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and University Hospitals Southampton will be trialling the Galen technology with the potential for adoption more widely across the health system. The trial is funded as part of the £140 million AI in Health and Care Award Programme run by the NHS AI Lab and the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

The CTDA approval process is an ongoing regulatory regime. There is no current end date and new applications for approval may be made at any time.

The organisations participating in the workplaces daily contact testing pilot evaluation scheme are as follows:
- John Lewis;
- Jaguar Land Rover;
- Primula (Kavli);
- Northumbria Water;
- Oxford Biomedica;
- Greencore;
- Co-op - Castlewood;
- British Steel;
- Longley Farm;
- Agrial Fresh Produce;
- Pilgrim’s;
- Moy Park;
- AB Foods Silver Spoon;
- Danish Crown Pork;
- Apetito;
- Network Rail;
- Transport for London;
- London Heathrow;
- Border Force; and
- Cabinet Office Building 5.

The Department and NHS Test and Trace have taken on the role of legal manufacturer for lateral flow self-tests, which have been given a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) exceptional use authorisation for the purpose of detection of COVID-19 in asymptomatic individuals as part of the national testing programme. As legal manufacturer, the Department and NHS Test and Trace are required to have a Quality Management System (QMS) in place. The QMS is separate to that of the Innova Medical Group in the United States of America (USA) and ensures that tests being used in the United Kingdom (UK) are subject to appropriate controls.

After the US Food and Drug Association safety notice was issued on 10 June, MHRA asked the Department and NHS Test and Trace to investigate whether the UK could be affected by any of the concerns raised. MHRA were satisfied of the limited applicability of the FDA’s actions in the USA to the products supplied in the UK by the Department and NHS Test and Trace and their proposed actions to mitigate risks from these issues.

The Department published information and data on the performance of lateral flow tests in the UK which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lateral-flow-device-performance-data