Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the competitive process used to award contracts at the Joint Biosecurity Centre; and if he will confirm how many companies put in bids for these contracts.

The United Kingdom is facing the biggest public health challenge in a generation. The Joint Biosecurity Centre has been set up at pace to ensure decision makers at local and national levels have access to the best available information. This involved awarding contracts for a range of goods and services. Contracts were awarded in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.