01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Scrapping free Covid tests: Govt must come clean on costs

Scrapping free Covid tests: Govt must come clean on costs

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on Ministers to ‘come clean’ over the cost of providing free Covid tests and the basis for scrapping them, in the face of surging cases and hospitalisations. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, has tabled two written parliamentary questions asking for the total cost of providing free tests - but the Government has refused to answer claiming the information is ‘commercially sensitive’. SAGE member Professor Matt Keeling has urged the Government to halt plans to ditch free rapid testing, saying free tests could even be 'cost saving if they help prevent sufficiently many hospital admissions'. The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to come clean and publish figures on how much is currently being spent on providing free Covid tests,…
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21Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Scrapping of Covid tests: Four million people to face £500 “tax on caring”

Scrapping of Covid tests: Four million people to face £500 “tax on caring”

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have warned that the scrapping of Covid lateral flow tests will amount to a “tax on caring,” with almost four millon people facing costs of over £500 a year to take regular tests and visit vulnerable relatives. Despite the easing of Covid restrictions, the latest figures show that every week nearly four million people take regular Covid tests, taking two tests a week on average. This includes people who take tests to protect their elderly relatives and friends, or vulnerable workers who work in people-facing industries such as hospitality and are concerned about their health. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats estimates that people who take two tests a week face an average hit of £534 a year, assuming lateral flow tests cost around £5.80 each. This is…
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30Apr 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must focus on test, trace and isolate not arbitrary deadlines

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the Government may not reach the 100k test target, acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Given the figures reported daily over the last few weeks, few will be surprised that the Government look unlikely to hit today's target. “Ultimately this is not about targets and arbitrary deadlines. This is about the fact we have millions of frontline workers who have not been tested and the that Government still seems miles away from establishing the testing and tracing infrastructure we need to safely manage the move out of lockdown. “Yesterday we saw the number of deaths reach 26,000, each one a tragedy, and the true number of deaths could be significantly higher. “The Government should be developing a proper strategy for a test, trace and isolate system immediately rather…
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