§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ 1.16 p.m.
§ Colonel Cyril Banks (Pudsey)I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."
In view of the necessity for better food hygiene in this country, I hope the Government will permit the deletion of four words from the original Bill in order that the regulations may apply to food sold not only in the open air, but on enclosed premises. The regulations as they stand at present, impose a code of cleanliness and hygiene for foods sold in the open air, but that code does not apply to foods sold on enclosed premises. The purpose of this Bill is to make the regulations apply equally to food sold in enclosed premises. If that is done, then, I think, we shall have a better standard of hygiene.
§ Mr. Crouch (Dorset, North)I beg to second the Motion.
I know that during the last 20 years great improvements have been made in the way that food is handled in this country. However, I feel it is unfortunately still necessary to try further to improve the way in which food is sold to the general public. We are all aware that disease can be passed on 1556 through the unhygienic handling of food. For these reasons, I wish to support my hon. and gallant Friend, and hope that the Government will give their blessing to this Bill and allow it to proceed through all its stages.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Geoffrey de Freitas)I think we all know of the interest which the hon. and gallant Member for Pudsey (Colonel Banks) has in this subject of food hygiene and his knowledge of it. He knows, as I am sure many hon. Members know, that within the last few years the Ministry of Food have had this matter very much in mind, and that their model bylaws issued in 1949 have been adopted by, I believe, the majority of local authorities, or, at any rate, a very large number of them.
As to the merits of this Bill itself, I can tell the House that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food is considering a number of matters connected with food hygiene, and that he may come to the conclusion that some amendment of the Food and Drugs Acts is necessary. With the assurance, which I gladly give, that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food will bear in mind what the hon. and gallant Gentleman has said on this matter, I would ask him to consider the undesirability of having too many bites at the cherry, whether it is a cherry indoors or in the open air. I hope that with that assurance the hon. and gallant Gentleman will decide not to press this Bill.
§ Colonel BanksIn view of the fact that the Minister of Food has promised to bear in mind the necessity for a better standard of food hygiene in the country, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the Motion.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Bill withdrawn.