HC Deb 05 February 1996 vol 271 cc20-1W
Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Public Health Laboratory Service abandoned work on hospital disinfectants; and if he was consulted on that decision. [13132]

Mr. Horam

The Public Health Laboratory Service has not abandoned work on hospital disinfectants. Its central public health laboratory maintains a continuing expertise in this field. CPHL gives expert advice in response to numerous enquiries, and has in hand a number of specific projects such as testing disinfectants which are suspected of contamination and, for the World Health Organisation, tests of systems currently used for the asepsis and safety of vaccines.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many scientists are employed in the Public Health Laboratory Service; and what number it is planned will be made redundant. [13130]

Mr. Horam

The Public Health Laboratory Service employs 224 scientists. Consultations on four redundant posts have recently been completed and are still proceeding on a further two scientists' posts.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the decision that the Public Health Laboratory Service would no longer be represented on EC committees engaged in writing procedures for testing disinfectants. [13131]

Mr. Horam

The Public Health Laboratory Service continues to have an input to European consideration of matters relating to the testing of disinfectants. A PHLS representative sits on the British Standards Institute technical committee IH/57 "Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics", which links directly with its European counterpart.