Local MP and Chair of the Transport Select Committee Huw Merriman called for affordable and accurate international travel PCR testing in the Health Secretary's COVID-19 update statement. 

The Government has announced that from tomorrow (Tuesday 30 November) all arriving travellers will be required to take a PCR test on or before day 2 and self isolate until they have received a negative result. These PCR tests can be purchased from private providers and free NHS tests are not valid for this purpose.

Huw Merriman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee

The return of PCR testing will be met with some apprehension by the international travel sector, which has just been getting back on its feet, but it will at least be cheered by the Secretary of State’s statement that we will not keep measures in place for a day longer than is necessary. Can I ask the Secretary of State to ensure that the providers of PCR tests are those that will actually give accurate, good-value testing back to the public, and that we will not see some of the issues that arose over the summer repeat themselves?

Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. I know he rightly takes a close interest in this; we do want to minimise any impact on our excellent transport and travel sector. He is right to raise the importance of making sure that PCR tests are available, the pricing is correct and the Government website where providers are listed is properly monitored so that anyone who breaks the rules is delisted.