Recommendation 14

We asked UKHSA what progress it had made in deciding what it would do with the site. UKHSA told us that it was waiting for Ministers to decide whether to continue development at Harlow or to change course to a phased delivery option providing high containment facilities at Porton Down with later refurbishment of supporting infrastructure at Porton Down and Colindale. UKHSA told us that this decision was under “active review” by Ministers and that it expected a decision to be made in the second part of the spending review. It recognised that this was “now quite a critical decision in terms of timeframe, because it takes a long time to build … [and] commission them into service.” UKHSA informed us that that the decision–making process was difficult and prolonged because the relative costs and benefits of each option are finely balanced and difficult to compare. To ensure that it was ready for a decision either way, UKHSA said that it was working with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to ensure its model for overseeing the programme included sufficient technical expertise.21 The Department should clarify the arrangements for accountability, oversight, and the involvement and status of delivery partners as soon as possible. 21 Qq 47–50 14 2 Protecting taxpayers’ money The continuing impact of clinical negligence