A Welsh MP has asked the competition watchdog to investigate why people returning to Wales from abroad must use a single NHS provider for Covid PCR tests.
Conservative MP David TC Davies told the BBC that NHS tests cost more “than people need to pay”, while arrivals in England can “shop around” to save money.
Travel agents in Wales have been criticising the Welsh government’s policy on testing for international trips, saying it adds costs and confusion.
The mandated NHS PCR tests have been reduced from £88 to £68 for arrivals in Wales, but there are much cheaper options for those travelling to England.
Earlier this week, the government also announced a crackdown on ‘cowboy’ Covid test providers and its findings will be shared with the CMA to support its review of the market.
Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth and a Wales Office minister in the UK government, has now written to the CMA urging it to “look very carefully indeed at the cost of PCR testing in Wales”.
More: Government cracks down on ‘cowboy’ Covid test providers
Call for competition probe into ‘excessive’ Covid travel testing costs
Agents criticise extra costs and confusion of Welsh testing rules
Suzanne Cumpston, sales and commercial manager at Sam Smith Travel in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, told the BBC that the differing rules on tests had caused confusion.
“We’ve seen people come into the office for advice, who have already booked their holiday – not with us – and they have booked the wrong test,” she told the broadcaster.
“They’ve gone on to websites looking to compare Covid PCR test prices for international travel and they’ve booked what they think is the cheapest and best quality test out there.
“I’m sure all of my colleagues in the travel industry would love to see – and the public more importantly – four aligned nations in the United Kingdom.”
Helen Furlong, a personal travel agent based in Aberdare, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast £68 per test was a lot of money, especially for families.
“In Wales there are a lot of people who work really very hard and have to save for a long time for their holiday and then to add the extra layer of cost on top of it is almost the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” she said.
Welsh ministers are urging people not to travel abroad for holidays this summer and say NHS testing ensures positive cases and harmful variants are identified.
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