15
Accepted
The National Audit Office highlighted that a review of the Weybridge site in 2021 found...
Conclusion
The National Audit Office highlighted that a review of the Weybridge site in 2021 found more than 1,000 examples of “single points of failure – where loss of the system or asset will cause major catastrophic disruption to operations”.29 The Department highlighted the potential failure of the Weybridge site incinerator, which is a critical piece of the site’s infrastructure, as a high-risk area. The Department told us that it expects to have two incinerators working independently by 2025 to increase resilience and to complete a new incinerator by 2030.30
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the concerns, stating it has comprehensive business continuity plans, conducts regular incident exercises, is developing a detailed understanding of site vulnerabilities, and is collaborating with other laboratories.
Government Response
Accepted
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2023 3.2 The department and APHA have comprehensive business continuity plans which seek to mitigate and minimise the risk inherent in the aging facilities. These plans are regularly reviewed and will be next reviewed once the Weybridge Development Control Plan (WDCP) is finalised in early 2023. 3.3 In addition to business continuity planning, the agency and department run regular critical incident exercises to test business response and readiness for a wide variety of scenarios from fire through power and water supply interruptions and potential loss of facilities. 3.4 The agency is in the process of developing a more detailed understanding of the vulnerabilities at Weybridge site (as distinct from facility condition). This work will identify if and how capabilities can be delivered from alternate locations or facilities. The Weybridge facility and the science that takes place there – and across the country – acts as a strong mitigating factor that controls and reduces the threat to the public and the environment. 3.5 The government is already in conversation with other cross government laboratories and partners to identify opportunities to co-ordinate, utilise or support each other in the face of UK wide critical events, multiple events such as coincident animal disease outbreaks, cascade events, new and exotic zoonotic threats and pandemics and so on. 3.6 The agency also partners to undertake cross-government animal, zoonotic and public health emergency exercises every six months, the next of which is planned in 2023.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Twenty-Fourth Report - Redevelopment of Defra’s animal health infrastructure
16 Nov 2022
HC 42
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.7 yrs
Report published
16 Nov 2022