To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to evaluate the (a) operational effectiveness and (b) accuracy of covid-19 testing.

All tests have been assessed as performing to manufacturers’ specifications before being used. The current tests are very specific and the risk of false positives, where the test is reacting to other viruses, is extremely low. Like any diagnostic test however, there is always the small possibility of a false negative or a false positive result.