11th Aug 2020 21:24
(Alliance News) - Labour has raised fresh questions over outsourcing giant Serco Group PLC role in the UK government's test-and-trace programme to track coronavirus cases.
Shadow Health Minister Justin Madders accused the government of being "too quick to hand out juicy contracts to the private sector" as he shared a letter on Twitter, which he claimed revealed communication with the company back in January months ahead of the coronavirus lockdown.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Madders said: "I think it's for the Government to explain the process they underwent and what conversations were taking place in January about test and trace…It just seems really, really shambolically handled all the way along."
He tweeted: "This is an email from the customer services director at Serco explaining how they first got involved in track and trace.
""I received a (phone) call from Public Health England officials on 22nd January…" Who instructed officials to make that phone call? Why Serco? We need answers!"
The government has defended its test-and-trace programme after it was criticised as nowhere near "world-beating".
It announced it was strengthening regional test-and-trace powers in England while axing 6,000 national contract tracers.
Mr Madders added: "Serious questions need to be answered about why Serco was asked as early as January to get involved in the Government's response to the pandemic and whether adequate procurement processes were followed when Serco was later awarded the contract to oversee contact tracing.
"But the fact that the Government is now handing more support to local authorities to carry out contact tracing shows that even they now accept they made the wrong decision in pursuing this centralised model.
"This is yet another example of the government being too slow to tackle Covid-19 and too quick to hand out juicy contracts to the private sector.
"Ministers need to get on top of the issues with contact tracing, and do so quickly."
A Serco spokesman said: "Serco was appointed to the test-and-trace programme in May under an initial three-month contract.
"Serco was appointed under the Crown Commercial Service's contact centre services framework. We gained our place on the framework through fair and open competition."
Health minister Edward Argar, who previously worked for Serco, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Even though it's six years ago and I have no connection with the company since then, that is why I've had no involvement with this process and with this contract."
Explaining the changes to the system, he told Sky News: "I think this is actually, this is a reflection of a successful system that, as we've always said, will flex and evolve to meet our understanding of the disease and the changing needs of our communities."
A government spokeswoman later said in a statement: "As a result of public and private sector organisations working together at pace, we were able to protect our NHS and strengthen our response to this unprecedented global pandemic.
"Contracts have been awarded completely in line with procurement regulations for exceptional circumstances, where being able to procure at speed has been critical in the national response to Covid-19."
source: PA
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