HC Deb 21 March 1997 vol 292 cc955-7W
Mr. Alan Williams

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he was notified about the data relating to E. coli contamination arising from poor animal hygiene at abattoirs, contained in the report prepared by Mr. Swann for the Meat Hygiene Service. [20038]

Mrs. Browning

[holding answer 13 March 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 20 March 1997, Official Report, column 715. [19571]

Sir Colin Shepherd

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department collates data on the professional qualifications of meat hygiene inspectors. [20734]

Mrs. Browning

The Department does not hold any data on the professional qualifications of meat inspectors.

Meat hygiene inspectors are employed by the Meat Hygiene Service and I have asked the chief executive to reply to your question direct.

Sir Colin Shepherd

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the veterinarians who carried out the assessment of standards in slaughterhouses, commissioned by the Meat Hygiene Service, agreed with Mr. Bill Swann's summary of their findings. [20738]

Mrs. Browning

The assessment of standards you refer to was part of the hygiene advice team exercise carried out by the Meat Hygiene Service. I have asked the chief executive to reply to you direct.

Sir Colin Shepherd

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many of the employees of the general secretary of the Association of Meat Inspectors have been offered a contract by the Meat Hygiene Service; [20733]

(2) when Mr. Bill Swann applied for the position as head of operations of the Meat Hygiene Service; [20737]

(3) when the general secretary of the Association of Meat Inspectors tendered for a meat hygiene service contract; and what was the outcome. [20739]

Mrs. Browning

Staffing matters are the responsibility of the Meat Hygiene Service and I have asked the chief executive to reply to you direct.

Letter from Johnston McNeill to Sir Colin Shepherd, dated 21 March 1997: As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) your Parliamentary Questions to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries enquiring a) whether details of the professional qualifications of Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) are collated; b) whether the veterinary surgeons who carried out an assessment of standards in slaughterhouses agree with Bill Swann's findings; c) about the number of the employees of the General Secretary of the Association of Meat Inspectors (AMI) who have been offered a contract by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS); d) when Bill Swann applied for the position of Head of Operations, and e) when the General Secretary of the AMI tendered for an MHS contract and what was the outcome, have been passed to me for reply. [20734] [20738] [20733] [20737] [20739] To take each of your questions in turn:

  1. a)All MHIs must be qualified by gaining, through examination, in the Certificate in Meat Inspection approved by the Royal Society of Health for England and Wales and the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland for Scotland. Copies of the appropriate Certificates in Meat Inspection are held on the individual's personnel files by the MHS.
    2. 957
  2. b) The Hygiene Advice Teams (HAT) completed a detailed analysis of the operational hygiene and animal welfare standards at all licensed slaughterhouses (approximately 615 plants). As part of this exercise, Bill Swann undertook many visits (although in a limited area of the country) and wrote HAT reports on a number of plants. These reports were specific to the plants concerned and the recommendations therein may or may not have agreed with recommendations in reports on other plants. An editorial committee was set up to produce a final report of the HAT exercise. This included a number of veterinarians who had been heavily involved in the exercise. Bill Swann provided a first draft summary of the overall findings of the HAT exercise in respect of red meat plants. The final report was intended to give a summary of the important issues relating to hygiene operation and animal welfare, an indication of the level of industry compliance overall and to include the most important recommendations made by the HAT teams. Mr. Swann's draft was rejected by his colleagues as it gave little indication of the level of compliance, repeated a great deal of material covered by the MHS Operations Manual and provided a long list of deficiencies, many of which only related to a small number of plants.
  3. c) The MHS is aware of 26 employees who worked for the Meat Inspection Agency run by the General Secretary of the AMI who have been offered a contract by the MHS.
  4. d) Bill Swann applied for the position of MHS Head of Operations in September 1995.
  5. e) The MHS is staffed mainly by Meat Hygiene Inspectors who transferred to the agency from their local authority employers under TUPE arrangements on 1 April 1995. Operating without the constraints of local authority boundaries the MHS has the opportunity to deploy its permanently employed staff to the best effect. Where employed staff are not available MHS Regional Managers have the option of contracting staff through a small number of Agencies, one of which includes the General Secretary of the AMI, Mr Comrie.
An invitation to tender for the provision of meat inspection services was issued in December 1994 and the information received was made available to the MHS's Regional Managers to assist in their task of ensuring that meat inspection and relief cover would be available at all licensed establishments at Agency launch via the most cost effective means. Subsequent to the launch of the MHS, Mr Comrie has provided some relief meat inspection cover to the MHS.

Sir Colin Shepherd

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received from the vice-president of the Association of Meat Inspectors regarding hygiene standards in abattoirs. [20735]

Mrs. Browning

I held a meeting on 19 March with representatives of the Association of Meat Inspectors. Two of the vice presidents of the association have disassociated themselves from the sentiments expressed in recent correspondence from the General Secretary of the association, and confirmed their total support for the work of the Meat Hygiene Service in driving up standards in abattoirs.