§ Lord Inglewoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make available for consultation their contingency plans for handling a future possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the interests of public confidence in their ability to handle such a crisis. [HL5643]
§ Lord WhittyFollowing initial stakeholder consultation, the interim contingency plan was publicised by a news release and placed on the DEFRA website on 12 March 2002 together with a mailbox inviting comments. The plan has since been updated and a revised version placed on the website for comment on 3 July 2002.
§ Lord Inglewoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have entirely revised their contingency plans for dealing with a possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease following the outbreak in 2001 and the ensuing reports into the way it was handled. [HL5644]
§ Lord WhittyAn interim contingency plan was developed and publicised in March and has continued to be worked upon and updated over the last few months. Now that both the Royal Society study of infectious diseases of livestock and the Lessons Learned inquiry have reported, the plan will be further amended to take account of the recommendations made.
The plan is very much a 'living' document. It is expected that it will be subject to regular revision taking on the latest scientific advice and comments from stakeholders and operational partners.