Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the remit is of the new Joint Biosecurity Centre with reference to that Centre's relationship with (a) the devolved Administrations, (b) Government departments and (c) SAGE.

The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) will need to work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including Government Departments, the devolved administrations, and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, to carry out its functions. The United Kingdom Government will continue to engage with the devolved administrations to explore how the centre can operate most effectively across the UK and work is underway to ensure the right relationships are in place to enable the JBC to operate as effectively as possible.