Member News
By John Glen MP - 22nd June 2010
John Glen MP writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his adjournment debate on the future of the Health Protection Agency at Porton.
The purpose of my adjournment debate is to seek to challenge the process by which the Department of Health is evaluating a proposal by the chief executive of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to move the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR) – one of their agencies - to Harlow rather than upgrade the facility in my constituency at Porton Down.
I firmly believe that the HPA has not investigated all possible options for the future of the CEPR. Furthermore in these financially straightened times, given that the CEPR is practically self financing I intend to ask the government if they could consider the proposal that the CEPR should be spun out of the HPA and stand alone as a co-operative entity. This would have the huge advantage of costing the government much less than I believe has been proposed and would also guarantee that the science, research and skills practiced by staff at Porton Down over 100 years continue to thrive and are not lost to the UK as a whole.
Porton Down came into being nearly 100 years ago as a response to the horrific chlorine attacks on Allied soldiers in the trenches at Ypres in 1915. After many different incarnations the facilities transferred in 2003 to become one of the founder establishments of HPA and renamed Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR). The facility is currently co-located on site with Defence Science Technology Laboratory and is treated as one site by health and safety Executive with the defence establishment providing back up for the HPA labs.
The work undertaken at Porton involves the study of dangerous pathogens of humans, animals and plants which can be major threat to public health – anthrax, Ebola, Lassa Fever, clostridium difficile, swine flu, foot and mouth to name but a few. It also conducts translational research to ensure that new discoveries are developed and translated into real benefits for patients. For example Porton manufactures Erwinase a drug developed at CEPR for the treatment of childhood leukaemia, estimated to save 1,400 lives annually. surely translational research in action. Ideas are excellent but they need to be followed through and put into practice to actually be of benefit. The CEPR is an international centre of excellence for this. Here scientists work with partners to develop many vaccines and interventions for diseases such as TB, whooping cough, Meningitis and anthrax. Porton routinely conducts work for the US government as they are one of very few centres with capability and staff to carry out the work.
It is my contention that the move to Harlow were to take place it would destroy CEPR's unique combination of integrated capabilities. Therefore it seems to me that the only sensible and economically sound solution would be for the CEPR to stand alone as a cooperative entity. In this way it would not only be able to continue providing an effective service as a largely self funding public health delivering body but also carry on world class scientific translational research for which it has secured a strong commercial reputation.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.