Criticises the central government’s approach to test and trace as being outsourced rather than handled by local experts. She mentions Serco's poor record, lack of transparency in subcontracting, and compares it with successful local efforts in Wales. Urges the Government to prioritise local expertise over private companies.

Supports Rachel Reeves' critique on Serco and adds that excessive consultancy costs are another issue, demanding transparency about consultant fees and activities.

Noted that the debate will commence with a five-minute time limit for Back-Bench speeches and it is expected to be shortened shortly.

Mr Slaughter questioned whether there is any information being withheld regarding private consultants working at the Joint Biosecurity Centre.

Mr Betts inquired about extending financial support for local authorities to take over tracking and tracing responsibilities beyond tier 3 regions like Sheffield.

Ms Butler raised concerns about delays in local authorities gaining access to the NHS database for contact tracing purposes, highlighting the need for transparency on average wait times.

Mr Stafford requested permission to speak, but did not provide a full contribution within the provided text.

Ms Maskell criticised the current system's performance and questioned why private companies do not transfer control of test and trace to local directors of public health, inquiring about any financial penalties that might prevent such a move.

Asked for an investigation into the provision of a testing centre in Reading, highlighting that residents have to travel long distances for testing despite official guidance. Also raised concerns about the use of volunteers for local tracing partnerships.

Inquired if the Minister would investigate the need for a new testing centre in Reading, a university town currently facing potential tier upgrades due to spread risks and lacking nearby testing facilities.

Questioned whether Ministers had considered using volunteers who signed up during the pandemic for local tracing partnerships, expressing sympathy towards the Minister's situation amid lack of constructive opposition.

The debate focuses on the ideological choices made by the Government, which led to a subpar test and trace system despite other options being available. It highlights that public health-based systems in Scotland and Wales are delivering successfully while England's privatised Serco model is failing. The speech also points out the critical issue of speed in infection control and procurement rules during emergencies. Furthermore, it criticises the use of fast-track tendering rules to hire consultants over public health experts, citing specific examples from Deloitte and other firms.

Mullan questions whether a locally-led approach would have been feasible at the start, highlighting that even then, £300 million was provided to help local authorities develop their own test and trace programmes. He criticises Labour for suggesting that everything should be handed over to local authorities without acknowledging the challenges of varied leadership quality among local authorities.

Dhesi argues that despite spending £12 billion, the Government has failed to deliver a functioning test and trace system. In Slough, 68% of contacts were reached by the central system in comparison to 97.1% by local protection teams. Local councils have been forced to set up their own tracing systems due to government failures.

Critiqued the effectiveness of the current test and trace system operated by Serco and Randox, questioning the waste of taxpayer money and highlighting inefficiencies. She demanded transparency regarding voided tests and contracts awarded to private companies.

Defended the Government's approach to test and trace, criticising Labour for inconsistent policy positions. He emphasised the need for a collaborative effort between public, private sectors, and local authorities to tackle the pandemic effectively.

The world-beating test and trace system set up to control covid-19 has been an expensive failure, costing £12 billion. Local knowledge is key to success; centralised outsourcing was destined to fail. National Test and Trace teams have low contact tracing rates leading to delays in controlling the virus. Effective information-sharing between national and local teams is needed, along with more funding for local public health teams who can be successful at controlling outbreaks.

Wirral headteachers report damaging delays in receiving test results leading to teacher absences due to uncertainty about their covid-19 status. NHS staff and other individuals experience inconsistent advice on quarantine periods. Only two thirds of positive cases are transferred to the contact tracing system, with Wirral reaching only 63% of close contacts. Council officers need vital data from the Government to aid in test and trace measures. Serco's contract for £108 million has no transparency regarding performance measurement. Local authority public health teams should be given control over contact tracing.

An effective system is needed, not a world-beating one. Walk-in testing centres often fail to provide timely services and results, leading to wasted time and risk to health. Only 60% of people who should be contacted due to contact with infected individuals are actually reached through the national system. Local authorities achieve 97% contact rates compared to only 60% for national systems. National development should have been in coordination with local government associations and public health experts.

Supports Labour’s motion; tracing must be locally led due to community knowledge and expertise of local directors of public health. Watford achieves 93% local tracing rate, Liverpool has a 97% rate despite limited resources. BCG consultants are paid exorbitant daily rates while local authorities struggle with inadequate funding. Local enforcement is crucial for isolation support, avoiding harsh fines on individuals. Testing must be turned around within 24 hours; devolve tracing locally and enforce isolation.

The national approach has been a failure, with private companies receiving billions of pounds and failing to deliver. Local authorities need direct funding to set up systems instead of relying on the Government's centralised model. The system is broken due to delayed information and lack of effective tracing. It is crucial that public health messages are clear and explained effectively.

The Government's failure in care homes, PPE supply, and test and trace has caused significant frustration across Liverpool. The response was undermined by refusing to invest in local authorities and public health teams while pumping billions into private companies with poor track records. There is a lack of accountability for failures such as Serco’s performance in the test and trace system.

Greater Manchester and the north-west are witnessing high infection rates, prompting calls for better funding for test and trace. Local authorities need proper economic support if they are forced into tier 3 restrictions. The current strategy may leave large parts of the north trapped in tier 3 due to a lack of substantial financial backing post-austerity. A national circuit break is proposed to reset the test and trace service, making it more locally controlled and effective.

The effectiveness of the UK's test and trace system is critical during this pandemic, but it has failed due to lack of investment in NHS and public health. Statistics show that only 17% of people who are tested are effectively contact-traced, which is insufficient. Local authorities need proper resources to run effective systems locally. York needs another testing centre for a fast turnaround of results, which could help lock down the virus.

Improvement in public health teams and analytical capacity is essential for understanding the transmission methods of the virus. Local data analysts are needed to understand how the virus travels through local areas and take appropriate measures. The current system lacks proper analysis due to insufficient specialists, leading to uncertainty about the outbreak.

The NHS Test and Trace system is not working as it has sidelined existing local expertise. The system needs a better integration of primary care networks, GPs, and public health laboratories to control infectious diseases effectively. Spending on expanding the capacity and ability of local health services would be more beneficial than contracting out the system to private companies.

Labour has criticised the Government's track and trace system, citing low success rates in contacting individuals who have tested positive. The current model relies heavily on private companies with poor performance records, leading to inefficiencies and a waste of public funds.

Private management consultants are being paid excessively high rates (£7360 per day) for overseeing the test and trace programme, which is not functioning effectively. Tory MPs are reluctant to defend a system that has let down their constituents.

The Welsh Government's public sector 'test, track, protect' system has reached 96% of close contacts compared to the private Serco system in England. Issues arose when a Serco testing site in Abercynon was short-staffed and out of testing kits, leading to operational failures and risks for local residents.

Discusses the Welsh Labour Government’s approach to contact tracing in Wales versus England; expresses disappointment at the Prime Minister's failure to engage with the Welsh Government on this issue. Highlights that UK Government launched a coronavirus testing site without consulting the Welsh Government.

Critiques the outsourced companies running public services for private profit; cites examples of constituents facing issues with testing, emphasising the failures of a privatised and centralised contact tracing model. Advocates for more funding to local authorities and public health teams.

Calls for test and trace systems to be led by those closest on the ground, backed up by national capacity. Highlights issues with transparency in pillar 1 and pillar 2 testing labs and raises concerns about their quality.

Today, Sheffield’s director of public health has stated that the city is on track to enter tier 3 lockdown. The number of cases in Sheffield stands at 450 per 100,000 over a rolling seven-day period. Since students returned to teaching, there has been an increase in cases among those aged between 15 and 25, but the virus is also spreading among older age groups, leading to more hospital admissions and use of oxygen and ventilation. Sheffield’s public health team emphasises the need for quick test results and comprehensive contact tracing. However, many residents have struggled to access tests or receive timely results. The privatised network of Lighthouse labs has seen backlogs, while NHS testing labs in Sheffield have demonstrated success but were not scaled up nationally.

The Government’s privatised test and trace system has failed Liverpool, as evidenced by a decrease in the proportion of people reached by the system coinciding with increased infection rates. The NHS has not been given the contract for this system; it is a privatised one that has wasted billions of pounds without ensuring an effective programme. Contracts have been awarded to companies with no track record or a history of failure, such as Serco and Concentrix. In Liverpool, only 68% of close contacts are reached by the programme run by these private firms compared to 97% by local health protection teams. The city currently has no intensive care unit beds available, highlighting the urgent need for an effective test and trace system.

Local public health structures have been tracking and tackling outbreaks of disease since 1848. Directors of Public Health are embedded in local councils, working alongside the NHS, voluntary sector, care providers, and employers to tackle issues such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and food poisoning. The centralised private track and trace system has failed, evidenced by low contact tracing rates compared to other countries like Germany or South Korea. Local systems have achieved higher success rates, yet the Government's approach violates proper procurement practices by failing to set standards for performance or award contracts through competitive tendering.

Residents in Reading and Woodley have faced significant difficulties accessing testing facilities, with some having to travel over 100 miles for a test. A new promised testing centre has not materialised despite the area being at risk due to its university population. Local contact tracing systems are demonstrably more effective than the national outsourced system, which must be addressed immediately if we hope to control rising infections until vaccines and treatments become available.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the issue of track and trace. I and other Opposition Members are rightly furious at the amount of money being spent on private companies that could have been invested in our own NHS and in local public authority systems. This issue is of huge interest to my constituents in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields. More than 100 people have written to tell me about where it has gone wrong with testing and tracing, and more than 700 people have signed my joint letter with my hon. Friends the Members for Tooting (Dr Allin-Khan) and for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova), asking for a permanent testing centre in Wandsworth borough. Deloitte has been sent to find one, but it cannot find a place, so we do not have one; we rely on the Army to pop up every now and again. The Minister talked about a spine and ribs, and the whole system working together. We have a spine in this country: it is the NHS. It is a national health system. We should have used that from the start rather than spending £12 billion on systems that have entirely failed us. SAGE has now said that track and trace had a minimal effect on stopping the virus, but it should have been the core of our reaction and our action to stop the virus.

I am concerned to hear that Serco got a contract without any competitive tendering. My real concern is that last year both Serco and the Home Office argued in court—sadly, they were successful—that because Serco was a private contractor delivering a public service, it was exempt from the Human Rights Act. To give Serco a contract like test and tracing, with all that could happen with data, and for it to be exempt from the Human Rights Act, is very dangerous territory for the Government.

Our country faces an unprecedented health crisis as we battle covid-19. No Government could be expected to get everything right first time, but a competent Government would learn as they go along, recognise their mistakes and put them right. A second spike in infections was never inevitable, and nor were the restrictions and lockdowns that are now necessary to consign it. They are the result of this Government’s failure to control the spread of the virus. There are two reasons why the Government keep getting it wrong: the first is their urge to over-centralise control, so that they fail to use the experience and expertise on the frontline; the second is their dogmatic urge to marketise everything, bypassing procurement rules to hand out multibillion-pound contracts to Conservative party cronies who lack the skills to do the job. They spent £11 billion on outsourced contracts and an army of management consultants, including Serco, whose contact-tracing system SAGE now tells us needs a major overhaul because of its 'relatively low levels of engagement' and 'marginal impact'.

It is a pleasure to close this debate on behalf of the Government, and I would like to thank all hon. and right hon. Members across the House for their varied and considered contributions this afternoon. NHS Test and Trace is one of the strongest weapons in our armoury in this fight against coronavirus. In the last seven days alone, we have processed more than 1.8 million tests, with 219,000 just yesterday. That helps us to break chains of transmission through testing, contact tracing and outbreak management in an end-to-end service to help to prevent the spread of the virus, protect local communities and save lives and livelihoods. As we have heard today, it is both a national and a local operation, with close working already taking place with local authorities. Like others here, I would like to pay tribute to those local authority leaders and directors of public health who have been in the heart of their communities helping to inform both those important strands. We have built the largest diagnostic network in British history. Has it been seamless? No. Are we getting there? Yes, absolutely. It is developing all the time. The network includes five major Lighthouse laboratories, 96 NHS labs across 29 pathology networks, and over 500 testing sites. This is a tremendous undertaking in such a short period, and in a period of national crisis. We are doing more testing per head than almost any other major nation. Yesterday, capacity sat at more than 344,000, and we are expanding capacity further to meet a target of half a million tests a day by the end of October. This will include our NHS labs going even further to reach 100,000 tests a day. More labs are joining the network, and we are investing in new technology to process results faster. We are also automating parts of the process, installing new machines and hiring more permanent staff.

Made an intervention but no full speech provided.

Made an intervention suggesting that there should be a simple means for people waiting for tests to track where their test had got to, similar to how it works with Amazon and other companies in the country.