CONCERNS were raised over the competence of outsourcing firms today after it emerged just 1,500 coronavirus contact tracers have been appointed out of the 18,000 promised by the government.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in April that the full number should be recruited by the time the NHS tracing app goes live later this month.

But Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis admitted today that while “about 15,000” applications had been received, only a tenth of those had been hired by the government’s mid-May deadline.