19 March 2009
Statement by Leader of Caerphilly county borough council Cllr Lindsay Whittle.
"We would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the tragic loss of 5-year-old Mason Jones, whose death has had a profound affect on all those involved in the outbreak and our thoughts are with his family at this time.
Caerphilly county borough council welcomes the publication of Professor Pennington's report and we will now carefully consider the recommendations contained within it.
The council was a core participant in the Public Inquiry and fully co-operated in the process so that all the issues surrounding the outbreak could be fully explored and investigated.
The publication of this key document will allow all the agencies involved to further examine the recommendations and put in place any improvements deemed necessary.
We understand many parents and their children affected by this incident will also be looking to be reassured by this report.
The council is keen to highlight the fact that a wide range of actions and improvements were put into place following the outbreak in 2005, and we have been continually looking at new ways to enhance procedures in order to protect public health and safety.
Vital areas have all been reviewed and steps taken to strengthen procedures where appropriate.
We deliver a wide range of services to tens of thousands of people across the area every day - from school catering to residential care homes - and we want to send a clear message to the public that they can be confident today in the services we provide. Thankfully, outbreaks such as this are a very rare occurrence and we will remain vigilant in order to limit any risks of this ever happening again."
You can download a copy of the final report from the E.coli Public inquiry website. http://wales.gov.uk/ecoliinquiry/?lang=en
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