Watchdog to see what “immediate action” can be taken in expensive travel tests

The competition regulator is studying whether there is any “immediate action” government Due to concerns about the high cost of PCR testing required for traveling abroad, it can be considered.

This competition And the Marketing Authority (CMA) has previously confirmed that at the request of the Minister of Health, it will investigate issues related to testing Sajid Javid But it said it would report its recommendations “within the next month.”

Now, the regulator says it is also considering “steps that can be considered during this period” to address what it calls “particularly urgent issues”.

CMA stated that it is studying three areas—whether individual PCR providers may violate their obligations under the Consumer Law and whether they should be subject to enforcement actions; whether there are structural problems in the PCR testing market that affect prices or reliability; and whether the government is here Can any action be taken immediately during this period?

Some vendors that provide PCR testing that meets the minimum standards charge a fee of £200 or more.

this week, Conservative Member of Parliament Henry Smith Who is the chairman of the future aviation all-party parliamentary group, he said that the upper limit of the private Covid-19 test should be 40 pounds.

He said that this will allow more people to travel abroad and enable aviation to “return to the path of sustainable recovery.”

George Lusty, CMA’s senior director of consumer protection, said: “It’s vital that people who pay for PCR testing are treated fairly, get what they pay, and respect their rights when something goes wrong. If we We will not hesitate to take enforcement actions if we find evidence that PCR providers are violating consumer laws.

“We are also working closely with DHSC to obtain the data we need to determine the cause of any broader issues in the PCR testing market and to advise on actions that may be required.

“This is a particularly urgent issue for families who wish to enjoy a well-deserved holiday after such a difficult year, and for families who reunite with relatives and friends overseas.

“That’s why we also provide continuous support to DHSC (Ministry of Health and Social Care), including measures that can be considered before the end of our remaining work in the PCR testing market.”

But a travel expert said that the CMA’s investigation was “too late.”

Paul Charles, the chief executive of The PC Agency, a travel consultancy, said that the ministers have “fallen asleep in this regard.”

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “This is a growing industry, worth about £700 million. It has developed at an extremely fast pace in the past six months, but it lacks supervision or proper supervision.”

He said that the process of organizing, paying, and executing the test “has too many levels of complexity.”