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Dear Ms Whiffen,

Thank you for your email. I apologise for the length of time it is taking to respond to your FOI request.

DHSC does not conduct internal reviews until a response to the initial case has been issued. Although organisations can choose to conduct an internal review to assess the handling process where they have taken more than 20 working days to respond, DHSC uses the internal review process once the initial case is complete to ensure that any exemptions that have been used have been applied correctly, and that all information within the scope of the request was considered.

We will therefore not be conducting an internal review. We will respond to your FOI request as soon as we are able.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team
Department of Health and Social Care

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Dear Ms Whiffen,

Please find attached the Department of Health and Social Care's response
to your recent FOI request (our ref: FOI-1298943).

Yours sincerely, 

Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care

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