§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet received the first report of the committee which monitors compliance with the provisions of the Food Manufacturers Federation voluntary code of practice on the marketing of infant formulae in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieWe received the first report from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) monitoring committee early in March. It is a thorough, balanced and objective document and I congratulate the committee chairman, Dame Alison Munro, and her members.
Their report shows that the Government's arrangements for securing, within the United Kingdom, the aim and principles of the World Health Organisation's international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes are working well. It makes suggestions about improving these arrangements further. We shall be discussing with the monitoring committee and the manufacturers how to take these matters forward.