17
Accepted
The Chief Veterinary Officer explained that a major breakdown, resulting in reduced high containment laboratory...
Conclusion
The Chief Veterinary Officer explained that a major breakdown, resulting in reduced high containment laboratory capacity at the Weybridge site, would make it more difficult to respond to a major animal disease outbreak. For example, a major Foot and Mouth disease outbreak would require the testing of tens of thousands of samples with Weybridge providing the capacity to do this. While the Department would still be able to confirm disease cases, it would take much longer to do the surveillance sample testing in order to confirm an area was disease free.33 The Chief Veterinary Officer and the APHA also 26 Qq 4, 10, 11 27 Qq 14, 19 28 Qq 5, 15; C&AG’s Report, paragraph 1.18 29 C&AG’s Report, paragraph 1.14 30 Q 15 31 Qq 14, 18 32 Qq 7, 22 33 Q 20 Redevelopment of Defra’s animal health infrastructure 13 explained that a major breakdown at Weybridge would mean the APHA would have to prioritise the most significant disease threats. This would impact the APHA’s other work such as its long-term research programme.34
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