To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the terms of reference of the Prion Working Group.

The remit of the United Kingdom (UK) Blood Services' Prion Working Group (PWG) is:

“The working group will advise the UK Blood Services on the most appropriate ways to ensure the safety of blood, cells, tissues and organs for transfusion/transplantation in relation to risk associated with prion proteins. Its remit includes:

1. acting as a single source of blood, tissue and organ related scientific advice on prion transmission related issues;

2. being the single point of contact between UK Blood Services and manufacturers of prion filters and prion assays, and any other technology to reduce prion risk;

3. providing advice on the requirements for evaluation of prion filters, prion assays and any other new technology to reduce prion risk;

4. acting as the primary point of contact between UK Blood Services and collaborating institutions including the Health Protection Agency (Efficacy and endogenous hamster infectivity studies), Roslin Institute (Sheep endogenous infectivity studies), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Oversight Committee of the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (Prion assay sensitivity) and non-UK Blood Services;

5. overseeing both .current and future evaluation projects on behalf of the UK Blood Services;

6. taking ownership and reviewing the UK Blood Services position statement on vCJD and risk assessments on behalf of Standing Advisory Committee on Transfusion Transmitted Infection (SACTT1) on an annual basis, or more frequently if required;

7. providing advice on non-negative samples identified in any prevalence study conducted by the UK Blood services.”

The PWG terms of reference are:

“In formulating its advice, the working group will:

take full account of the scientific evidence available, including the nature of uncertainties and assumptions used to reach conclusions; identify specific areas of research where further work is required to reduce uncertainty; consider the impact of its advice on all stakeholders in the blood, tissue and organ supply chains, including but not exclusively donors, patients, the UK blood services and the wider National Health Service; take full account of the need to maintain the safety of .blood, tissues and organs, operating under the remit of the Precautionary Principle; take account of the financial implications of assessing or introducing new technologies to mitigate the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transmission by blood, tissues or organs; act independently of any commercial organisation with whom it works and, proactively identify potential conflicts of interest; maintain confidentiality of any data made available to it as per confidentiality agreements; work closely with Scientific Advisory Committees and the Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion Services and National Institute of Biological Standards and Control Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC) on the approval of systems as suitable for use; take full account of the work conducted by the Governments' Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO); ultimately be accountable to the UK Forum.”