Public Accountability Unit
T 020 8327 6920
Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London SE1 8UG
www.gov.uk/phe
By email
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx Our ref: 21/03/nk/3089
12 April 2021
Dear Frank Lally
Re: Freedom of Information request - PCR advice to official UK testing centres
Thank you for your request received on 21 March 2021 addressed to Public Health
England (PHE). In accordance with Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 (the Act), I can confirm that PHE partly holds the information you have
specified.
Request
I have been given information from a number of Hospital Trusts in the UK that
they have received advice from you regarding the procedures to use when
conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect Covid-19.
Could you please send me a link to the document that you send to Trusts and
other testing centres for this specific purpose.
PHE can confirm it does hold this information. However, the information is exempt
under section 21 of the FOI Act because it is reasonably accessible by other means,
and the terms of the exemption mean that we do not have to consider whether or not
it would be in the public interest for you to have the information. However for your
convenience we have included the following links:-
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach
ment_data/file/926410/Understanding_Cycle_Threshold__Ct__in_SARS-CoV-2_RT-
PCR_.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach
ment_data/file/879385/Guidance_for_Laboratories_offering_support_for_COVID-
19_testing_for_publication_v2__2_.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach
ment_data/file/682533/Q4i5.pdf
Can you please confirm if any advice you give users indicates the specific
cycle (Ct/Cq) values (or range) that they should use?
This is not a valid FOI request. Under section 8(1) of the FOIA, PHE is not required
to provide explanations or opinions to answer your request.
Are you aware of any other official bodies that send out the information
covered above to testing centres?
This is not a valid FOI request. Under section 8(1) of the FOIA, PHE is not required
to provide explanations or opinions to answer your request.
If you have any queries regarding the information that has been supplied to you,
please refer your query to me in writing in the first instance. If you remain dissatisfied
and would like to request an internal review, then please contact us at the address
above or by emaili
ng xxx@xxx.xxx.xx. Please note that you have the right to an independent review by the Information
Commissioner’s Office if a complaint cannot be resolved through the PHE
complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted by
calling the ICO’s helpline on 0303 123 1113, visiting the ICO’s website at
www.ico.org.uk or writing to the ICO at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
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