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1196853

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have placed a bulk order for the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests; and if so, (1) how many tests were ordered and at what cost, and (2) the quantities expected to arrive in the UK by (a) the end of May (b) mid June and (c) the end of June.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Brinton
	uin	HL4564
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>We have signed contracts to supply over 10 million tests from Roche and Abbott in the coming months. We have agreed these contracts with two suppliers whose assays have been evaluated by Public Health England and continue to engage with other companies to establish further agreements to meet our testing strategy. These contracts will secure a significant volume to meet the United Kingdom’s testing plans. Further details are commercially sensitive.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 14:13:28 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	4241 label Biography information for Baroness Brinton

1197852

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 20 May (HL3589), what criteria they used to determine the type of testing to offer at each Regional Test Site; on average, what percentage of people choose the self-test option at sites which operate a hybrid model; what is the average waiting time at (1) assisted, (2) self-administration, and (3) hybrid, testing sites; and whether there is a maximum waiting time embedded in contractual agreements with test providers.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL4817
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>We do not collect or publish data in the form requested. We are working to increase access to both assisted and self-administered testing, but it is important to note that the range of testing routes are designed to be complementary and reach the right people at the right time. We are providing a range of options to be as accessible as possible to people wherever they live and whatever their circumstances.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 15:05:48 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1196838

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their testing prioritisation plan for COVID-19 antibody tests; and how does this plan compare to the strategy for COVID-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Andrews
	uin	HL4549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government has announced the start of its national antibody testing programme, with initial plans to provide antibody tests for National Health Service and care staff, as well as hospital patients and care residents on the basis of clinical advice, in England from the end of May. The United Kingdom Government has purchased tests on behalf of the devolved administrations, and each devolved nation is deciding how to use its test allocation. This strategy, in which NHS patients and staff will be amongst the first to benefit from testing, is similar to the approach taken to roll out RT-PCR tests.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 15:05:19 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	2534 label Biography information for Baroness Andrews

1196841

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of UK laboratories to (1) conduct, and (2) process Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests; what plans they have to use unpaid volunteers as swab testers as part of their testing strategy; and what steps they will take, if any, to prohibit the sale of antibody tests by private companies which have not been approved by Public Health England.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Andrews
	uin	HL4552
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not hold specific information on the instrumentation available in United Kingdom laboratories. Plans for the roll out of laboratory-based tests are being developed and, among other things, will consider the ability and capacity of National Health Service laboratories to process commercially available tests.</p><p>The Chief Medical Officer discourages in the strongest terms organisations from buying their own unvalidated antibody tests. Professor John Newton has also warned that unapproved tests could be misleading, by providing inaccurate or inconsistent results, potentially putting those tested and those around them at risk. He has therefore advised organisations both in the public and private sector against the use of antibody tests that have not been verified in a laboratory setting.</p><p>A RT-PCR or ‘antigen’ test is used to find out if a person currently has the virus. These tests are different to antibody tests, which are used to detect antibodies to the COVID-19 virus as a marker of past infection.</p><p>The Department is working in partnership with several organisations to ensure the Lighthouse Laboratories, who are conducting antigen testing, have the workforce required to maintain capacity. Individuals can apply to work in the Lighthouse Laboratories directly through Reed recruitment agency or at an organisational level. During screening, individuals can determine whether they wish to be paid or volunteer.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 14:44:33 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	2534 label Biography information for Baroness Andrews

1196837

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many laboratories in the UK are capable of processing the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test; and what is the distribution of these laboratories across the country.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Andrews
	uin	HL4548
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government does not hold specific information on the instrumentation available in United Kingdom laboratories. Plans for the roll out of laboratory-based tests are being developed and, among other things, will consider the ability and capacity of National Health Service laboratories to process commercially available tests.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 14:13:18 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	2534 label Biography information for Baroness Andrews

1196854

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first became aware of the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test; what discussions they held with the European Medicines Agency and stakeholders in Germany about their trials and approval processes; and why they decided to run their own separate trials and approval process.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Brinton
	uin	HL4565
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>Public Health England (PHE) were asked to review all major suppliers of assays for National Health Service use, including the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, in order to limit the amount of on-site evaluation each facility has to perform.</p><p>PHE is familiar with the processes involved in European Medicine Agency registration. No discussions have been held with stakeholders in Germany about their trial and approvals processes.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 14:27:05 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	4241 label Biography information for Baroness Brinton

1196839

	registered interest
	date	18/05/2020
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Coronavirus: Screening
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how (1) assumptions about future immunity to COVID-19 from past infection, and (2) existing COVID-19 test results, are informing their strategy for antibody testing; and what plans they have to use antibody testing as an epidemiological survey tool to (a) evaluate past infection of particular individuals, or (b) inform future policy making.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Andrews
	uin	HL4550
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2020 answer text <p>A positive antibody test demonstrates that someone has COVID-19 antibodies. The presence of COVID-19 antibodies signals that the body has staged an immune response to COVID-19. COVID-19 is a new disease, and our understanding of the body’s immune response to it is limited. We do not know, for example, how long an antibody response lasts, nor whether having antibodies means a person cannot transmit the virus to others. Our understanding of the virus will grow as new scientific evidence and studies emerge.</p><p>We are conducting some of the biggest surveys in the world, using lab-based tests to find out what proportion of the population have already had the virus. This work includes four major surveillance studies with Public Health England, the Office for National Statistics, IPSOS MORI and UK Biobank, designed to understand the current and future prevalence of COVID-19 in the wider population. We will be able to share further details of the results of these studies in due course. Information on levels of infection will inform our future plans for rolling out antibody tests.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 03/06/2020 14:14:05 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
	tabling member	2534 label Biography information for Baroness Andrews