§ Pete WishartTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department assumed responsibility for the awarding of the contract to supply the UK Government with smallpox vaccine; and for what reason the management of this process was transferred to his Department from the Ministry of Defence. [57376]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 23 May 2002]: Responsibility for the provision of appropriate preventive and treatment measures for the protection of public health rests with this Department. Since smallpox vaccination of the public ceased in the 1970s and smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide, the Department has continued to hold a strategic stock of smallpox vaccine. Following a review of vaccine needs in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, a joint procurement of smallpox vaccine to meet both health and defence needs was deemed appropriate. This was part of the ongoing collaboration on medical countermeasures between the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence.
§ Pete WishartTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations and companies were considered by his Department when awarding the contract to produce smallpox vaccine for the UK Government; what contact his Department had with each of these organisations or companies prior to the awarding of the contract; when officials from his Department visited each organisation to assess the facilities for making the vaccine; by what criteria each of the facilities was assessed; which other organisations were(a) considered, (b) contacted and (c) visited prior to the creation of a shortlist of organisations; and on what criteria the final shortlist was compiled. [57378]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 23 May 2002]: Detailed confidential discussions were held with five major pharmaceutical companies who were known to have vaccine manufacturing capability either in the UK or in Europe. The companies, whose agreement to being identified has been obtained, were Acambis, Aventis Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, PowderJect and R1VM. All the companies approached responded and the decision to award the contract was taken solely on the basis of the responses received from the companies.
An official from the Department of Health accompanied officials from the Ministry of Defence on a visit to Bavarian Nordic and Impfstoffwerke Dessau Tornav at the end of January on a fact-finding visit to discuss vaccine developments and manufacturing techniques.
The details of the Government's requirements for smallpox vaccine are not being put in the public domain as this is information that might be of use to terrorists.