§ 3.15 p.m.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what degree of confidentiality was attached to the Shooter Report; whether any further precautions have been taken as a result of the report; and what arrangements are being made concerning the future of the smallpox laboratories in Paddington.
The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of HEALTH and SOCIAL SECURITY(Lord Wells-Pestell): My Lords, legal advice to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State was to the effect that the report could not, because of the risk of prejudice, be published until the legal proceedings by the Health and Safety Executive against the University of Birmingham were disposed of. They are in fact pending. As a result of the report, all laboratories listed as holding Category A pathogens dangerous to humans are being rigorously re-inspected and, as my right honourable friend the Secretary of State said in another place on 24th January, consultations are shortly to take place on proposals for notification of possession of Category A pathogens to be made compulsory, and on the details of a possible system for the licensing of laboratories.
The question of the future arrangements for the research facilities at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Paddington, is being urgently considered.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that informative reply, but can he say something more specific about St. Mary's, Paddington; and, further, will he be good enough to look into the question of the Agricultural Laboratory at Weymouth, which deals 825 with rabies and TB, to see whether there are adequate safeguards there?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, in reply to the second part of the supplementary question, I will certainly do so; and if I am able to communicate with the noble Baroness, I will do so. With regard to being more specific about St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, we are now discussing with Professor Dumbell to see whether his work on smallpox can be re-located. We consider it is most important that the work he is doing and which is being done in his laboratory should continue.
§ Lord SANDYSMy Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord can tell us how long the process of inspection will take in other laboratories where Category A pathogens are held and whether special instructions are given to the same laboratories meanwhile to make sure that a recurrence of this sort of thing does not take place?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, the re-inspection is done by the Health and Safety Executive in conjunction with the Dangerous Pathogens Advisory Group. I understand that there are 11 such laboratories holding Category A pathogens at the present moment. Some establishments have been re-inspected—notably at Elstree and at Colindale—and, to be frank, restriction orders have already been placed on two establishments.
§ Lord HAILSHAM of SAINT MARY-LEBONEMy Lords, has the noble Lord any news about the possible time-scale of the legal proceedings? When are they likely to begin and when are they likely to be disposed of?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I have no information before me about that. I must trust entirely to memory. I think I am right in saying that Birmingham University recently applied to the High Court for an order that the proceedings should not be pursued in the magistrates' court. My recollection is that that order was granted, but I believe that there is some other legal process with which I am not familiar which must be taken within a short space of time in order to make that effective.