Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Caroline Lucas (Green Party) on Tuesday, 22 March 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 March 2022. It was answered by Maggie Throup (Conservative) on Tuesday, 26 April 2022 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Coronavirus: Surveys

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2022 to Question 140419, on Contact tracing: software, what the funding has been for the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey since its inception; what funding has been allocated for the continuing operation of that survey; if he will set out reasons for changes in funding allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Answer

In 2020/21, expenditure on the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey was approximately £401.9 million. Confirmed expenditure in 2021/22 is not yet available as it is currently being audited. The ONS’ funding allocation for 2022/23, excluding testing, is £268.1 million. A proportion of this funding will be paid directly to other service suppliers and this allocation does not include the costs of processing tests.

The scale of the survey is planned to be reduced by approximately 25% with 300,000 tests completed per month. The study will also transition to a more cost effective, transformed model guided by a framework of ‘digital-first with remote sampling’. The goal is to continue the provision of high-quality COVID-19 data and analysis, whilst significantly reducing costs and creating a more sustainable solution.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
144875
Session
2021-22
Related items
Contact Tracing: Software
Monday, 21 March 2022
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Finance Office for National Statistics Surveys Coronavirus Contact tracing
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk