In his media briefing at 10 Downing Street this afternoon Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned the important role of the National Joint Biosecurity Centre in evaluating coronavirus health hazards.
The Prime Minister first revealed the plans for a Biosecurity Centre in an earlier media briefing on 10 May.
Following this, Green Party MP Dr Caroline Lucas asked a series of questions to find out more details of the Centre. Here are the two very uninformative replies provided by a junior health and social care department minister, Helen Whately.
Asked by Caroline Lucas
(Brighton, Pavilion)
Asked on: 20 May 2020
Department of Health and Social Care
Joint Biosecurity Centre: Staff
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when a permanent director to the new Joint Biosecurity Centre will be appointed; whether that organisation will be (a) staffed by civil servants and (b) informed by a standing team of experts; how many staff have been appointed to date; and when wider membership and staffing will be announced.
A
Answered on: 08 June 2020
As the Prime Minister said in his statement on Sunday 10 May, we are currently establishing a new COVID-19 Alert System run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), which will be established swiftly over the coming days. The details of the system and the JBC are still being finalised and we will have further details on this in due course.
Q
Asked by Caroline Lucas
(Brighton, Pavilion)
Asked on: 20 May 2020
Department of Health and Social Care
Joint Biosecurity Centre
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual budget for the new Joint Biosecurity Centre will be; from which departmental budget or budgets the resources will be provided from; what principles of transparency that centre will operate under; what (a) information and (b) analysis that centre will publish; and if he will make a statement.
A
Answered on: 08 June 2020
As the Prime Minister said in his statement on Sunday 10 May, we are currently establishing a new COVID-19 Alert System run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), which will be established swiftly over the coming days. The details of the system and the JBC are still being finalised and we will have further details on this in due course.
Ms Whatley provided a further updated answer to a Labour MP Helen Hayes nearly two months later, in which she revealed the centre far from being a stand-alone source of independent analysis, it was really tucked way within her department , a sub section of another departmental operation, the “Test and Trace Service.”
Q
Asked by Helen Hayes
(Dulwich and West Norwood)
Asked on: 01 June 2020
Department of Health and Social Care
Joint Biosecurity Centre
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the Joint Biosecurity Centre, what plans the Government has for the (a) budgets, (b) ministerial oversight and (c) senior leadership of that Centre.
A
Answered by: Helen Whately
Answered on: 02 July 2020
Holding answer received on 04 June 2020
The Joint BiosecurityCentre is an integral part of the Test and Trace Service in the Department for Health and Social Care, and led by a Director General.
Dr Lucas also asked a follow up question in order to find out more about the Centre, to be told the department “will be as transparent as possible in our work and, wherever we can, will publish our delivery figures and publications,” while revealing the name of its second Director-General, Claire Gardiner.
Q
Asked by Caroline Lucas
(Brighton, Pavilion)
Asked on: 22 June 2020
Department of Health and Social Care
Joint Biosecurity Centre
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2020 to Question 49643 on Joint BiosecurityCentre: Staff and the Answer of 8 June to Question 49644 on Joint BiosecurityCentre, what progress he has made on the (a) establishment, (b) funding and (c) staffing of the new Joint Biosecurity Centre.
A
Answered by: Helen Whately
Answered on: 02 July 2020
The Joint BiosecurityCentre (JBC) announced the appointment of its Director General on 5 June and is an integral part of the Test and Trace Service in the Department. It engages with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including other Government departments. Like the wider Test and Trace Service, we will be as transparent as possible in our work and, wherever we can, will publish our delivery figures and publications. Staffing levels currently stand at just under 200 people.
Taken together, these answers create the impression there is, in reality, no such entity as a National Joint Biosecurity Centre, but a renamed sub section of the Health and Social Care Department, with a new nameplate to impress the public.
More smoke and mirrors from this most dissembling of governments?
No comments:
Post a Comment