Lateral flow tests

7 January 2022

Dear

ATISN 15870 – Lateral Flow Tests

Thank you for your enquiry to the Welsh Government received on 23 December 2021 relating to Lateral Flow Tests. 

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoI Act) provides a right to request information that is held in a recorded format. From your email, your enquiry contains the following valid FoI request:

What I would like to know is how much the Welsh government has spent on these Lateral Flow Tests during 2020 and how much plastic is being produced.

Our Response

The Welsh Government has worked collaboratively with the UK Government’s Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), and since 1 October its executive agency the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and the other Devolved Governments to deliver testing across the United Kingdom through a National Testing Programme (NTP).

Through the NTP, DHSC and UKHSA, enter into contracts to secure the provision of Covid-19 testing delivered across all four nations including procurement of lateral flow tests.  Welsh Government does not hold the details of these contracts including expenditure on lateral flow tests and the amount of plastic being produced. I suggest you contact UKHSA directly to request the information you seek.

I have provided contact details for DHSC/UKHSA below. 

Department of Health and Social Care 
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries Unit
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
https://contactus.dhsc.gov.uk/

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Public Information Access Office
Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8UG
UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
InformationRights@UKHSA.gov.uk
 

Next Steps

If you are dissatisfied with the Welsh Government’s handling of your request, you can ask for an internal review within 40 working days of the date of this response. Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Welsh Government’s Freedom of Information Officer at:

Information Rights Unit, 
Welsh Government,
Cathays Park, 
Cardiff, 
CF10 3NQ 
or Email: Freedom.ofinformation@gov.wales

Please remember to quote the ATISN reference number above.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office, 
Wycliffe House, 
Water Lane, 
Wilmslow, 
Cheshire, 
SK9 5AF

However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a complaint until it has been through our own internal review process.

Yours sincerely