Food Hygiene (Hansard, 16 June 1989)

§ Mr. Michael
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research projects into food hygiene and food production are currently sponsored by his Department; what resources are allocated to each project and what plans he has for expanding such research in Wales.

§ Mr. Peter Walker
My Department has no agricultural research funds. Last year the Government funded 436 research projects on food in England and Wales. Details can be found in the draft National Programme of Food R&D 1988–89, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 13 June 1989.
Future plans for Government funded research will be guided by the advice of the Research Consultative Committee on Food Safety and Applied Nutrition which is expected to report at the end of August. This Government are firmly committed to food safety research and will place the work with the most appropriate contractors.

§ Mr. Michael
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy to increase the resources available to local authorities in Wales to enable them to increase the number of environmental health officers available to inspect food producing and processing establishments in view of fresh public concern over dangers to health.

§ Mr. Grist
Provision for local authority spending in 1989–90 was announced in the rate support grant report published on 8 December 1988. My officials are presently discussing with the local authority associations their need to spend for 1990–91.
The bulk of resources provided to local authorities are unhypothecated: it is for the individual authority to determine its own spending priorities.

§ Mr. Michael
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to ensure the future security of adequate funding levels with predictable continuity for S4C in the light of the statement on 13 June, by the Home Secretary on the future of commercial television.

§ Mr. Peter Walker
The White Paper on broadcasting made clear the Government's view that S4C has been a554W considerable success. At present the Independent Broadcasting Authority determines the channel's level of income. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I envisage that the Independent Television Commission and S4C will make similar arrangements to ensure adequate funding for the channel in the future.