§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he gives to county councils as to the scale of their monitoring of pesticide residues in food; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorI have been asked to reply.
County councils, as food and drugs authorities, have responsibility for the enforcement of those provisions of the Food Act 1984 relating to the composition of food, including pesticide residues. They determine their own programmes of work. My Department's working party on pesticide residues publishes results of its national surveys, which are available to food and drugs authorities.