Cook-chill Catering (Hansard, 1 December 1988)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wakefield,Official Report, 28 November, when Mr. Arthur Pinegar, ceased to be involved in the private health laboratory involved in work on cook-chill catering.

§ Mrs. Currie
About one year ago.
382W

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wakefield,Official Report, 28 November, what is his policy on allowing microbiologists employed in the public health laboratory service also to operate private laboratories undertaking the evaluation and monitoring of cook-chill catering.

§ Mrs. Currie
The PHLs board's current policy is not to withhold permission for staff to engage in other remunerative work provided that there is no conflict of interest between that work and the employee's duties with the board, and that it does not prejudice the interests of the service.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wakefield,Official Report, 28 November, where the work on the growth and survival of listeria monocytogenes in foods prepared in cook-chill catering being undertaken by the public health laboratory service is being carried out.

§ Mrs. Currie
At the food hygiene laboratory of the PHLS, Colindale.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wakefield,Official Report, 28 November, whether the studies being undertaken by the public health laboratory service concerning the examination of meals provided in National Health Service cook-chill catering systems for the presence of listeria monocytogenes are being carried out.

§ Mrs. Currie
Yes.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wakefield,Official Report, 28 November, why more time is needed before his Department's guidelines on cook-chill catering can be published.

§ Mrs. Currie
I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 14 November at column478.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the advice contained in the guidelines on cook-freeze catering published by his Department in 1970 is still operational.

§ Mrs. Currie
Yes. However, the reference made in these guidelines to the use of chilled pre-cooked food was superseded by the guidelines on pre-cooked chilled foods published in 1980; the latter are being updated.