Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current condition of the high-security laboratories at Porton Down is.

All of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) high security laboratories at Porton Down, including the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens’ (ACDP) Containment Level 4 facility, are operational and compliant with all health, safety, and security requirements. The Health and Safety Executive conducts annual inspections of the ACDP Containment Level 4 facilities, and a recent assessment by the UKHSA has also confirmed that with proper maintenance, the high containment facilities can remain operational for at least another decade until they are replaced.