๐จ JUST IN | The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) signed contracts with @TelefonicaUK@BTGroup valued at ยฃ205,000 & ยฃ290,000, effective in March, to continue to track customer's movements which was extensively done during the national response to #COVID19
The 'potential' use of this data is includes "ongoing modelling of the spread of diseases, & helping to guide the response to future public-health emergencies โ including infectious illnesses, as well as extreme weather or biological incidents."
UKHSA wants to know more about โbehavioural changes post-pandemic, helping to understand the potential impact of wider health threats & to establish a post-pandemic baseline of behaviourโ.
We previously published an article on Whitehall's 'SitCen' unit & Telefonica's deal with the Govt re: โinsights on movement, demography, mobility patterns & behaviours of millions of peopleโ across the UK.
Interesting that the UKHSA procurement with @TelefonicaUK@BTGroup for 'telecoms mobility data' & 'datasets' are both filed under 'telemetry surveillance system'.
We also found another contract for Telefonica (o2) valued at ยฃ900,000 for "Provision of Mobility Data for the UK detailing the aggregated number of people within a specific location within the UK."
๐จEXCL: The Health Secretary @SteveBarclay handed over authority to @NHSBSA for continuing the COVID Pass until 31st March 2024, unless otherwise revoked.
It also appears that the Director of the DPU has invalidated the order, signing off the wrong year.
In mid 2022, @maggie_erewash answered Rosindell's WPQ stating the COVID Pass was due to close by 31st March 2023. The goalposts have shifted again.
MP @AndrewRosindell finally received a 'non answer' from @mariacaulfield on 6th March whether the COVID Pass system has closed.
We issued a FOIA to DHSC back in January, receiving our reply in February. Govt expenditure on the COVID Pass system is likely to have far exceeded ยฃ25m.
After hearing the @NickFerrariLBC interview with a man claiming his โhealthy stepfatherโ died from #Omicron, even though it wasnโt registered by #NHS Northamptonshire - weโre very skeptical about callers like โRajโ.
๐จ EXCL: We queried DHSC on the total cost to the taxpayer for the development & implementation of the #NHS COVID Pass system before/after launch on 17th May 2021 until present.
After reviewing awarded contracts, the final amount is likely to *far exceed* what we were told.
Two of the biggest contracts were awarded to both @netcompany_uk & Teleperformance Ltd for both ยฃ18m & ยฃ25m.
Since February 2022, our organisation continued campaigning for the domestic COVID Pass system to be scrapped after legislation was relaxed, as well as for intl use in late 2022, in consideration of how many countries were unrestricted at their borders.
1โฃ Even though Parliament remain on recess until Jan 9th, the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 has been used to exercise this Statutory Instrument.
No impact assessment has been provided & there's no indication of a review every 28 days by @Mark_J_Harper
2โฃ The regulations extend to those departing from mainland #China excluding #HongKong#Macao.
Travellers are required to "possess notification of a negative result from a test for #SARSCoV2" under Reg 3(1)(a)(b) incl. those over 12 years old.