Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
UKHSA's ageing high containment laboratories pose significant public health risk due to remedial investment needs.
Recommendation
UKHSA’s purpose is to prevent, prepare for and respond to infectious diseases and environmental hazards, and to provide scientific and operational leadership to protect the public’s health and to build the nation’s health security capability.UKHSA owns high containment science laboratories at Porton Down and Colindale, which are nearing the end of their operational life.16 These laboratories are a critical part of UKHSA’s health protection mission and are required for protecting the nation against highly infectious diseases. In 2024, UKHSA assured the previous Committee that, with ongoing maintenance, its laboratories should be able to continue operating for another fifteen years.17 However, the laboratories are currently dependent upon remedial investment to keep them in operation, resulting in periods of time where facilities are unavailable as they are being updated. In 2024, UKHSA acknowledged that reliance on these ageing facilities presents a significant but managed risk to public health.18
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that an urgent decision is needed regarding the future location of UKHSA’s high-containment laboratories, but defers this decision until after the spending review and plans for the delivery model to be fully implemented by Spring 2026.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2026 3.2 The government recognises that an urgent decision is needed on the future location of UKHSA’s high-containment laboratories. A thorough assessment of options has been conducted to identify the most cost-effective and time-efficient solution, and a decision will be taken following the outcome of the spending review process now that overall capital funding limits have been set out. 3.3 Following this decision, UKHSA will finalise the delivery model and the associated commercial strategy in collaboration with key partners such as DHSC, HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) which will be fully implemented by Spring 2026 following the completion of a programme business case. 3.4 As previously set out to the Committee in the letter dated 24 November 2024, UKHSA has appointed a new senior responsible owner and programme director as part of the Agency's ongoing efforts to strengthen programme governance, strategic leadership and establishing clear lines of accountability to enable effective delivery.