Volume 4: The Southwood Working Party, 1988-89
1. Introduction to Southwood
The key questions

1.23 Sir Richard had a second meeting on 19 May 1988, this time with Mr Cruickshank, Mr Wilesmith, Dr Pickles, Mr Lawrence and Mr Peter Lister (DH) who, as we understand the position, was originally intended to provide a link between the Working Party and DH, but whose role was subsumed in that of Dr Pickles. This was a 'nuts and bolts' meeting at which the future procedure of the Working Party was discussed.

1.24 A list of 22 questions was agreed, which included questions formulated by Sir Richard and the CMO. To these Dr Pickles was subsequently to add a further six.

1.25 Sir Richard's note of the meeting recorded that 'a list of background questions was agreed and scientific/medical staff agreed responsibility for formulating answers'. ¹ By the time of the first meeting Mr Wilesmith and Dr Pickles had formulated answers to all the questions. Since these provided the foundation for the Working Party's analysis, we have included them in full in the Annex to this volume.

1.26 Some of these questions related to background facts, others to existing scientific opinions, and yet others seem to have been questions of policy, for example, Question 18:

What steps if any would it be prudent to take in respect of clinically affected animals covering (a) meat offal and meat products for human consumption; (b) milk; (c) material used in preparation of biologicals; and (d) pet food?

1.27 Insofar as the answers to these questions were to form the basis for the Southwood Report we were concerned to explore the attitude of the Working Party to the questions and the answers that were provided. Did they question the answers or simply treat them as accurate? Sir Richard explained how Sir Donald Acheson had assured him that first-class civil servants would carry out a literature search and present all the background material in an objective way. It was, however, for the Working Party to evaluate that material. ² He said that they certainly questioned the 'answers'. It was their job to probe and the questions and answers were designed to give them a framework within which to probe. ³

1.28 The questions and answers were circulated to the Working Party before their first meeting.