7th Floor Melbourne House Strand
London
WC2R 2LS
Email: info-compliance@kcl.ac.uk
Business Assurance
Information Compliance
Louise Irvine
6th of February 2026
Dear Louise Irvine,
Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”)
FOI 03.26
Further to your recent request for information held by King’s College London, we are writing to confirm that some of the requested information is held by the University.
Your request
We received your information request on 2 January 2026 and have treated it as a request for information made under section 1(1) of the Act. We sincerely apologise for the delays in completing your request.
You requested the following information:
“Please could you provide me with:
1. Minutes, reports or any other documentation from the independent scientists and academic peer reviewers who checked the study.
2. Who those independent scientists and academic peer reviewers were.
3. If any of them were associated with either KCL or SLAM
In addition could you provide me with documentation of discussions/deliberations within KCL about the PATHWAYS trial including discussion of ethical and methodological concerns, including concerns raised by third parties, and the outcomes of these discussions.”
Our response
Please could you provide me with:
1. Minutes, reports or any other documentation from the independent scientists and academic peer reviewers who checked the study.
- Who those independent scientists and academic peer reviewers were.
- If any of them were associated with either KCL or SLAM
This information is conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Any documentation, reviewer identities, or information about reviewer affiliations is held by NIHR rather than King’s College London. You may wish to contact NIHR directly.
In addition could you provide me with documentation of discussions/deliberations within KCL about the PATHWAYS trial including discussion of ethical and methodological concerns, including concerns raised by third parties, and the outcomes of these discussions.
The requested information has been withheld under Section 22A – research information. This exemption applies under the following circumstances:
- we hold information on an ongoing programme of research;
- there is an intention by someone –whether an individual or organisation, private or public sector – to publish a report of the research; and
- disclosure of the information would or would be likely to prejudice the research programme, the interests of participants in the programme, or a public authority holding or intending to publish a report of the research.
The PATHWAYS trial is an ongoing programme of research, therefore internal discussions, deliberations, and ethical/methodological considerations form part of the research governance and oversight process. Disclosure of this material at this stage would be likely to prejudice the conduct of the research.
Section 22A is a qualified exemption and requires a public interest test. Public interest factors in favour of disclosure
- Transparency of research governance.
- Public understanding of research involving young people and healthcare.
- Accountability for ethical decision-making.Public interest factors in favour of maintaining the exemption
- Protecting the integrity of an active research programme.
- Preserving a safe space for researchers to discuss methodological and ethical issues candidly.
- Avoiding premature disclosure of material that will be published through peer-reviewed channels.
In summary, it is in the public interest to allow researchers to complete their planned programmes/processes and finalise information before such information is subjected to external study. The University considers that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure at this time.
This completes the University’s response to your information request.
Your right to complain
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your information request or feel that it has not been properly handled you have the right to complain or request a review of our decision by contacting the Information Governance team & Data Protection Officer at info-compliance@kcl.ac.uk within 60 days of the date of this letter.
Further information about our internal complaints procedure is available at the link below:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policyhub/freedom-of-information-policy
In the event that you are not content with the outcome of your complaint you may apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the internal complaints procedure provided by King’s College London.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at the following address:
The Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely Information Compliance