§ Baroness Finlay of Llandaffasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the expertise of the National Radiological Protection Board, its independence and United Kingdom-wide remit, will be preserved under the Health Protection Agency. [HL4262]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Health Protection Agency was established as a special health authority on 1 April this year and works in partnership with the National Radiological Protection Board.
As announced in November 2002, we intend to introduce legislation to establish the agency as a non-departmental public body as soon as parliamentary time allows. We intend that the non-departmental public body will take responsibility for the National Health Service Act functions currently discharged by the special health authority (which will be wound up) and for the other functions identified in the consultation paper Health Protection: A consultation document on creating a health protection agency(June 2002). These include advice to the United Kingdom 129WA Government, the National Assembly for Wales and (should they so wish) the Northern Ireland authorities on radiation protection. Detailed arrangements for the non-departmental public body will be set out in the legislation.
The Scottish Executive has conducted a separate consultation exercise on future arrangements for health protection in Scotland. Decisions in the light of this, including any implications they have for the functions to be given to the Health Protection Agency, will be announced in due course.