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Covid Testing Figures

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Dear Department of Health and Social Care,

I refer you to an already completed FOI here:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Dated 2 weeks ago on 23rd July you stated in your response:
“Regional and Local Authority data will be published in the future, and we are therefore withholding this data under section 22 of the FOIA (information to be published).
Section 22 is a qualified exemption, and we are required to assess as objectively as possible whether the balance of public interest favours disclosing or withholding the information. We recognise the
General public interest in this data, and that disclosure leads to greater transparency in government.
However there is also a very strong public interest in ensuring that information is made available to everyone at the same time, thereby ensuring equity of access. For this reason, we have concluded that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs that in its release.”

Please advise when and how this information will be made available. I would emphasise the urgency of having this information in the public domain ahead of the return to school in September IF you want to reassure parents that the risk is low in their local area. Without this information it is NOT possible for parents to assess this risk.

Yours faithfully,

Portia Lawrie

Department of Health and Social Care

Our ref: DE-1248008  

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your correspondence.

As we are experiencing extremely high volumes of enquiries due to the
ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we regret that we are not
currently able to provide an individualised response to every email we
receive from the public.
We are however continuing to record all the correspondence that we receive
so that we are able to continue to track the main issues being raised with
the Department by the public.
I am sorry that this falls short of the service we strive to offer, but
the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in has required a temporary
change in approach to handling correspondence.
If you enquiry is in relation to COVID-19, the Government has launched a
COVID-19 ‘hub’, which can be found at [1]www.gov.uk/coronavirus and has
the answers to many questions and the latest information on COVID-19.
If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, please visit
111.nhs.uk or telephone your GP surgery immediately for further advice. Do
not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital direct. If it is an
emergency, either call 999 or go to your nearest hospital with an A&E
department.
If you are a business interested in helping the government increase
COVID-19 testing capacity, please visit this [2]Government website. Please
note that the service to offer other COVID-19 support from your business
has closed.
If you are a clinician looking to support the NHS with the Coronavirus
response, please visit [3]this website, where you will find a variety of
required roles for both registered and unregistered individuals.
If you are a clinician who has retired within the last 6 years and would
like more information on how to apply for the temporary register, please
visit [4]this website.
If you are a student looking to join the NHS, please visit the HEE website
for detailed guidance for [5]nurses and [6]doctors respectively. 
If you want to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
please visit [7]this website for more information. 
The Department of Health and Social Care does not process complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [8]Complaints Procedure page on GOV.UK.
If you consider your situation to be of a particularly sensitive or urgent
nature that does require a bespoke response, please submit your email
again using ‘Sensitive’ and quote the case reference in the subject line.
We will, if deemed appropriate, aim to send a response to the majority of
such correspondence within 18 working days.
Yours sincerely,

Daniel Belmore
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries
Department of Health and Social Care

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