§ Mr. Pattieasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will, as a matter of urgency, set up an internal inquiry into safety procedures in order to protect staff at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, and at other departmental veterinary laboratories.
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§ Mr. BishopI would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend gave to him on 3rd July.—[Vol. 894, c. 508].
§ Mr. Pattieasked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the recent case of Mrs. Feesey who contracted brucellosis while employed at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, in 1967, any procedures have been introduced to safeguard the health of staff; and how many other staff at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, have contracted diseases from animals in the years since 1967.
§ Mr. BishopSince 1967 new types of safety cabinets and incubators and methods of air filtration have been developed and installed at the Central Veterinary Laboratory. The code of safety precautions has been revised and some sections of it are now under further study. According to my Department's records nine officers at the Central Veterinary Laboratory have since 1967 contracted diseases transmissible from animals to man.