Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Twenty-Fourth Report - Redevelopment of Defra’s animal health infrastructure
Public Accounts Committee
HC 42
Published 16 November 2022
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty fourth report from Session 2022-23 · published 24 Feb 2023
Recommendations & Conclusions
8
Recommendation
Rejected
While the APHA and the Chief Veterinary Officer said that animal diseases had not gone...
Recommendation
While the APHA and the Chief Veterinary Officer said that animal diseases had not gone down in their priorities, the Department and the APHA said that animal disease is one amongst a range of national risks that need to be …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating that Defra already highlights the threat from animal diseases in the National Risk Register and participates in other risk assessment processes.
HM Treasury
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20
Conclusion
Rejected
The Chief Veterinary Officer explained that animal disease outbreaks are ranked on a scale from...
Conclusion
The Chief Veterinary Officer explained that animal disease outbreaks are ranked on a scale from one to five with five being the most severe outbreak level and that the current assessment is that the UK has the capacity to cope …
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Government Response Summary
The government explicitly disagrees, stating that Defra already highlights animal disease threats in the National Risk Register, contributes to the National Security Risk Assessment, and has its own risk assessment processes, including chairing the HAIRS group and co-funding international monitoring.
HM Treasury
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21
Conclusion
Rejected
The APHA and Chief Veterinary Officer cited the recent example of Avian Influenza.
Conclusion
The APHA and Chief Veterinary Officer cited the recent example of Avian Influenza. This is likely to be categorised as a level three outbreak. While the APHA said that it had coped well in managing this outbreak it had to …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the committee’s conclusion, stating that Defra already highlights animal disease threats in the National Risk Register and National Security Risk Assessment, and has various existing risk assessment and surveillance mechanisms in place.
HM Treasury
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