Mr. Damien McCallion:

There is variation in the rates paid. There are different rates as well. The tests we use within our own hospitals vary significantly in cost. When we looked at trying to get capacity up to 100,000, we looked to where we could get high volume to deal with the high volume going through. All the laboratories that we use have to be accredited and work under a clinical laboratory service. We looked at all possible laboratories in country and out of country. We needed high volume laboratories for some of our community testing such that the systems in place would ensure we got the results through in a timely manner. In regard to the rates we are using, we are being very careful in terms of the commercial rates because we are still negotiating on those and we do not want to prejudice those discussions. We are happy that we have achieved good, competitive rates relative to the rest of Europe.

The cost referenced by the Deputy does not refer to the German laboratory. Its rates are competitive, as are all of the on-island rates. There is a degree of fluctuation, often down to the nature of the test. There are other factors as well the cost. We have to ensure that all the IT is enabled, from the GP referral through to the appointment, the laboratory result coming through and feeding back into the contacting tracing system. A sophisticated IT system has been built up as we have moved through this process. We have engaged with all possible laboratories and, at one stage, we were getting 50 to 60 leads per day. We have a team who sifted through all of those to identify those that would give us the quickest return. I may be aware of the laboratory to which the Deputy referred. It would not be appropriate for me to get into a discussion on it here but I am happy to have that discussion outside. We have engaged with every possible laboratory that could offer a service. Currently, we have the capacity and, as mentioned earlier, the volume is running at a lower level.