Written question asked by Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 6 May 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 May 2020. It was answered by Lord Bethell (Conservative) on Friday, 15 May 2020 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHS: Software

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the NHS COVID-19 tracing application has cost (1) to develop, (2) to test, and (3) to make operational.

Answer: The Department has launched the first phase of a large-scale, integrated contact test and trace programme on the Isle of Wight. This phased approach will allow us to learn about and improve the service as it is rolled out across the United Kingdom. We intend to roll out the National Health Service COVID-19 app nationally in the coming weeks. As the app is still in development, testing phases final costs are not available, and we continue to work with NHSX and HM Treasury to identify and agree funding requirements for the roll out of the app.

Secondary information