Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to support Public Health England (PHE) to tackle covid-19; and what plans the Government has to use the facilities at the PHE Harlow site to tackle that virus.

In January, the Department formed a COVID-19 Incident Response Centre, bringing together a number of Government departments and arm’s length bodies including Public Health England (PHE). With the Department’s support PHE has reprioritised much of its other business. The Department is working closely with PHE to ensure it has the resources it needs to carry out its critical work on the pandemic response.

In 2015 the Government confirmed £400 million of capital funding to proceed with development of the planned PHE science campus and headquarters in Harlow. Enabling work on site has started and the programme will progress subject to Full Programme Business Case approval later this year.