HL Deb 22 November 1954 vol 189 cc1721-2

After Clause 11, insert the following new clause:

Food Hygiene Advisory Council

(".—(1) There shall be constituted a Council, to be called the Food Hygiene Advisory Council, which shall consist of a chairman appointed by the Ministers and such number of other members so appointed as the Minister may determine.

(2) The members of the said Council so appointed shall include—

  1. (a) persons appearing to the Ministers to be qualified to represent the interests of the public generally in relation to matters of food hygiene and related matters,
  2. (b)persons appearing to the Ministers to be representative of persons carrying on any of the classes of trade or business affected by the operation in relation to food of the Food and Drugs Acts, 1938 to 1954, and
  3. (c) persons appearing to the Ministers to be representative of workers employed in any of the said classes of trade or business;
and the terms of their appointment shall be such as the Ministers may determine.

(3) The Ministers or either of them may from time to time refer to the said Council for consideration or advice such questions as they think fit, being questions relating to the Food and Drugs Acts, 1938 to 1954, as they apply in relation to food.

(4) Without prejudice to the last foregoing subsection, where the Ministers propose to make—

  1. (a) any regulations under section five (labelling, marking, and advertising of food), section six (food hygiene), or section ten (licensing of vehicles, etc.) of this Act, or
  2. (b) any order under section nine of this Act (extension of registration),
or to publish any such code of practice as is mentioned in subsection (6) of section six of this Act, they shall (unless it appears to them to be inexpedient to do so having regard to the urgency of the matter) refer the proposals in the form of draft regulations or a draft code of practice or a draft order, or otherwise, to the Food Hygiene Advisory Council for consideration and advice.

(5) The Minister may, out of moneys provided by Parliament, pay to the chairman and other members of the Food Hygiene Ad- visory Council, and to persons attending meetings at the request of the Council, such allowances as he may, with the approval of the Treasury, determine in respect of travelling and subsistence expenses and in respect of other expenses (if any) necessarily incurred by then for the purpose of enabling them to discharge their functions as members of the Council.

(6) Nothing in this section shall be taken as prejudicing the effect of subsection (4) of section ninety-two of the principal Act.")

4.15 p.m.

VISCOUNT WOOLTON

My Lords, this Amendment makes provision for the appointment of an advisory council to the Minister on food hygiene. There has been considerable demand that some organisation of this nature should be constituted. The clause provides for the appointment by the Ministers of the chairman and members who shall include persons representing the public generally, as well as persons representing employers and workers in the food trade. The Ministers are empowered to refer to the council such matters as they think fit, and they are required to consult the council in regard to labelling and hygiene regulations, regulations requiring the licensing of street traders, codes of practice on food hygiene and orders extending registration. The Minister, in assigning terms of reference and referring matters to the council, will be careful to ensure that their work will not conflict with the work of that excellent body, the Food Standards Committee. I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.

Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Viscount Woolton.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.