§ 31. Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future funding of PHLS laboratories located in district hospitals. [82647]
§ Ms BlearsThe Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) laboratories that are to be transferred to national health service trusts will be transferred with their current level of funding. The details of this funding are currently being discussed by the Department's Health Protection Agency project team with the key staff in the PHLS and the NHS trusts.
§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the transfer of management of Public Health Laboratories has been excluded from his regulatory reform proposals. [84254]
§ Ms BlearsThe consultation paper "Health Protection: A Consultation Document on creating a health protection agency" made proposals for changes to primary legislation. Responses showed widespread support for creating the agency, and we aim to establish it as a non-departmental public body from 1 April 2004, subject to legislative time being available. At that stage, we intend that it will take responsibility for functions currently performed by the National Radiological Protection Board.
As an interim step towards this, we intend to establish a special health authority, also to be called the Health Protection Agency, from 1 April 2003. The intention is that this special health authority will be responsible for the functions proposed for the agency under the NHS Act.
749WThe transfer of laboratories from the Public Health Laboratory Service to the national health service does not require change to primary legislation. A discussion paper on the transfer process was published in June 2002, and the intention is to complete the transfers by the end of March 2003.