1.3 million COVID tests double counted (and warnings via the government’s own MP ignored)

This piece is an update to the article written here: https://www.suttoninsight.com/all-articles/covid-tests-carshalton-and-wallington-mp-none-the-wiser

I wrote via my MP Elliot Colburn to the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) on 2nd May asking what procedures were in place to prevent double counting COVID tests put in the post.

On 14th August the DHSC reduced their tests figure by 1.3 million tests.

On the very same day they replied to my query with a detailed description of how testing works and what each pillar means and NO acknowledgement of my question of 3 months earlier, NO details of what they do / will do to prevent double counting and NO mention of 1.3 million double count admitted that same day.

The reply from a government department was an insult to both me and the very function of an MP. The question was to ask what procedures are in place to prevent double counting of tests sent out by post. The response is a lengthy generic copy and paste that makes no attempt to answer this question. 

It's rather galling that there was no attempt to answer my question from 2nd May, if my question about preventing double counting had been given any consideration then something could have been done to prevent the 1.3 million double counting that occured over the following three months.

A lack of consideration given to public concerns is of no great surprise but it's quite alarming that questions via an MP are met with a generic response and the stats here of 3+ month wait for a reply and a 1.3 million error are the kind of overblown and preventable errors that have become normalised in 2020 under this Conservative government.