§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 code of practice in respect of powers provided by the Food Safety Act 1990.
§ Mr. MacleanSection 67(9) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides that persons other than police officers who are charged with the duty of investigating offences shall have regard to any relevant provisions of codes of practice issued under the Act.
Code B, on the searching of premises and the seizure of property, sets down arrangements for obtaining search 654W warrants and for conducting searches with the consent of the property owner, including a requirement to inform him of the purpose of the search and to seek his consent before the search commences.
An amendment to code B has been made to provide that the code does not apply to officers exercising statutory powers of entry and inspection, such as food safety inspectors, where the powers are not dependent on there being suspicion that an offence has been committed and the person exercising the power has no such suspicion. The order implementing the revised code has been approved by both Houses of Parliament and comes into effect on 10 April 1995.