The escape of foot-and-mouth disease from a supposedly secure laboratory last year could be repeated without sweeping changes to the funding and management of facilities for handling dangerous germs, MPs said yesterday.

At least two ageing and neglected laboratories need urgent investment to ensure biosecurity, according to a Commons select committee that also said it had been disturbed to learn that ministers have not yet met to consider the issue.

The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee, found that underfunding contributed to the foot-and-mouth leak from drains at the Institute of Animal Health in Pirbright, Surrey, which caused an outbreak among livestock on eight farms.

Government dithering over who should fund a £165 million revamp is now jeopardising future biosecurity on the site, and needs to be addressed within the next three months, it said.

The report further highlighted the unacceptable state of a second pathogen facility, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) laboratory at Porton Down, Wiltshire. It could present a risk, and redevelopment is an “urgent priority.”

“We have identified shortcomings in the funding of high containment facilites, particularly for the significant cost of ongoing maintenance,” the committee said. “This must be rectified to ensure the incident at Pirbright is not repeated.

“A number of high containment laboratories have been neglected and the funding situation is uncertain. The Government must ensure that dependable funding is provided to maintain such facilities safely.”

The influential cross-party panel also called for a new system of oversight for germ laboratories, with a single minister taking charge. At present, responsibility is divided piecemeal between several Whitehall departments.

“We are disturbed that ministers have not met to discuss the issue of biosecurity, especially given that no organisation or government department has oversight in this area or responsibility for planning for future requirements, for example in the areas of surge capacity and anti-terrorist provision,” the committee said.

“There is a striking lack of co-ordination between organisations who sponsor and run high containment laboratories.”

At present, ten sites are licensed to work with the most dangerous human and animal pathogens, which require containment level four (CL4) facilities. Aside from two manufacturers of animal vaccines, including the Merial plant at Pirbright, all are Government-sponsored. About 600 sites operate at containment level three.

Some of these, such as the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, are recognised as “state of the art” by the report. The neighbouring HPA lab at Porton Down, however, is severely run-down.

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