To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all those eligible for a Test and Trace support payment receive such support.
Answered on
9 April 2021
Since the launch of the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, the Government has taken a range of action to help ensure those eligible for the scheme receive the support that it provides. This includes providing more than £70 million of funding to local authorities to meet the costs of the scheme, with a further £39 million released at the end of February 2021; expanding the eligibility criteria to include individuals notified to self-isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app because they are a contact of someone who has tested positive; and increasing the window in which individuals can make a claim, by allowing applicants up to 28 days after their first day of self-isolation.
The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme will continue into the summer and will be expanded to cover parents who are unable to work because they are caring for a child who is self-isolating. The Government keeps all elements of its COVID-19 response under review, including the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.