Food Advisory Committee (Hansard, 10 June 1993)

§ 3. Mrs. Helen Jackson
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received as to the activities of the Food Advisory Committee.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Nicholas Soames)
The Food Advisory Committee provides an invaluable public service in reviewing and providing expert advice to Ministers on a wide range of complex issues falling within its remit on the chemical safety of food as well as food composition and labelling. I have received no representations about the work of the committee.

§ Mrs. Jackson
What are the criteria by which the new team in the Ministry will select people to serve on the Food Advisory Committee? What steps will they take to ensure that the members are independent and free from the commercial interests of the food producers association?

§ Mr. Soames
The hon. Lady should be aware that the Government are firmly committed to ensuring that food safety regulations are securely based on the best available scientific and technical advice. To that end, we consult and use a great number of the most distinguished expert 420 committees, established by people with a wide range of interests in the food industry. Those interests are all declared—rightly so—in the annual reports. Equally, the hon. Lady will be aware that we rely on their expertise to give us independent advice on how to proceed.

§ Mr. Jenkin
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important that the Food Advisory Committee should be open to all so that we can see its workings and so that those workings are open and available to the public, as a matter of public record?

§ Mr. Soames
I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who raises an extremely important point. The Food Advisory Committee publishes its agenda some time before it meets, and afterwards publishes its deliberations. I am happy to assure my hon. Friend that we will do all that we can further to increase its openness. We intend to make sure that everything is available for the general public and consumers to see, to their advantage.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Is it not true that 10 of the 17 members of the Government's so-called independent Food Advisory Committee are shareholders in, consultants to or employed by major food companies? Is it not also true that a number of those same companies are major contributors to the Conservative party? Has the Minister seen the grovelling leaflet produced by a member of this so-called independent advisory committee who works for the Dunn Nutrition Centre? It states: Important notice. At this moment in our Fund Raising Programme"—

§ Madam Speaker
Order. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will recall that quotations at Question Time are not in order.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The quote says that it is clearly important not to antagonise any part of the food industry unnecessarily. Is that the voice of independence to which the Government are required to listen?

§ Mr. Soames
The hon. Gentleman's truly fatuous paranoia in these matters amuses and dogs the life of anyone who has anything to do with him. It is important that these independent committees, which are established to provide the Government and Ministers with fully independent, arms-length advice, are experts in the field in which they work. Naturally, some of them work in the food industry. The hon. Gentleman must grow up.