HL Deb 25 February 2003 vol 645 cc24-5WA
Lord Clement-Jones

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they plan to ensure that the requirements of the Food Standards Agency for joint working between the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, the Central Public Health Laboratory and the network of area and regional laboratories will continue after the formation of the Health Protection Agency on 1 April. [HL1426]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

We intend that the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC), the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) and the regional laboratories will all be within the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The CDSC, the CPHL and the regional laboratories will continue their close working together in that context. The HPA will be commissioning analysis of food samples from other laboratories which currently provide this service at the current level, supported by memoranda of understanding and service level agreements as appropriate. All laboratories will be required to send samples to CPHL and reports to CDSC and to assist with outbreak management as necessary. This co-ordination between laboratories will be overseen by the HPA's local and regional public health microbiologists. The mode of working described in the current concordat between the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will be continued. In time, a new concordat will be agreed between the HPA and the FSA to replace it.

Lord Clement-Jones

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What transitional funding will be allocated to the Health Protection Agency in 2003–04 to cover inevitable redundancies. [HL1530]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Decisions have not yet been made on the Department of Health central budget programme for 2003–04, so the overall sum available to the HPA, including funding for any redundancies, is not yet finalised. The HPA will not be able to agree its organisational structures until after its board has been appointed, so staff could not be identified as being at risk of redundancy until then. If staff are identified as being at risk they will be guaranteed employment for a period of 12 months from 1 April 2003 under the agreed change management protocol.