The chair of the Transport Select Committee has questioned why so few PCR testing firms on the government’s list of providers have been accredited in a letter to health secretary Sajid Javid.
Conservative MP Huw Merriman put four questions to Javid in a four-page letter sent today that covered issues surrounding PCR testing and genome sequencing.
He flagged that “only 25” – or 6% – of 415 PCR testing providers have been accredited by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).
UKAS is responsible for approving the companies listed on the government site, meaning they must meet certain medical and scientific standards before they can be accredited.
Holidaymakers are currently being charged up to £399 per PCR test, prompting complaints that Britons could potentially be ripped-off as so few companies on the list are approved by UKAS.
Last week, Merriman hit out at the high cost of PCR testing for international travellers, calling them an “unnecessary rip-off” before appealing to the government to allow cheaper lateral flow test to be used instead – due to low numbers of genome sequencing. The government has been insisting on PCR tests because they can be genome-sequenced in order to identify variants of concern, but Merriman highlighted that, of 6,977 positive tests, only 354 were sequenced in the three-week period from July 1.
In his letter to Javid, Merriman writes: “Many of the cheapest tests cited in the in the media are either unavailable, extremely poorly reviewed, or are wrapped in caveats about the turnaround time for results which make them next-to-useless as pre-departure tests or for Test to Release here in the UK.
He applauded the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its work as the watchdog outlined how it “plans to identify the core issues and advise on actions that can be taken” within the next month in a separate letter to Javid, responding to the health secretary’s calls for a “rapid high-level” review to protect consumers.
“It is right that the CMA look at this situation urgently to ensure that, where it is really is necessary for people to pay for more costly PCR test, this new and rapidly expanding market is offering good value to the consumer,” Merriman added.
Before urging Javid to reply by August 24, ahead of the next traffic light review, Merriman also asked why consumers were not directed to accredited testing providers on the government website, whether personal security is being comprised by testing outlets and if the government planned to review the 20% VAT charge applied to PCR testing costs.
Travel Weekly has contacted UKAS for comment.