§ Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham)I wish to present a petition on behalf of 77 of my constituents, headed by Susan Walters of Back to Nature, of Cornwalls place, High street, Buckingham, as part of the petition of Consumers for Health Choice, the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores. The petition declares:
We believe that the Government proposals which give the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) virtually unlimited powers to classify safe products as medicines, are wrong. This would mean that the MCA could remove at a stroke products that are vital to the good health of many consumers and are currently sold under the Food Law. This is an abuse of the democratic process and a denial of freedom of choice. We actively seek the creation of a new law appropriate to the special needs of safe, natural health products.The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Secretary of State for Health to grant an immediate moratorium from the Government and the MCA that will prevent them from declaring these safe products to be medicines except on the grounds of illegal claims for safety.
§ To lie upon the Table.