§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will implement a transparent process for the tender of supplies required for national security. [50895]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Government have decided that details of its medical countermeasures for response to any possible biological or chemical attack, and any tendering process for these, should not be put in the public domain, as this is information that could be useful to terrorists.
The tender for the supply of medical countermeasures, including vaccination, for response to any possible biological attack, fall outside the usual open competitive tendering process. There are specific exemptions from the usual process allowed for on the grounds of protection of the interests of national security.
There are no plans to change this approach.