HC Deb 27 January 1999 vol 324 cc308-10W
Ms Keeble

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will publish(a) the draft Food Standards Bill and (b) his proposals for funding the Food Standards Agency. [68082]

Mr. Nick Brown

I have today published the draft Food Standards Bill for public consultation, along with a consultation paper setting out our proposals for meeting by new costs of the Food Standards Agency through a levy on certain food premises. I have placed copies of both documents in the library of the House.

The draft Bill moves us closer to fulfilling another important manifesto commitment—the setting up of an independent Food Standards Agency with the aim of protecting public health in relation to food. The Agency will play a major role in strengthening consumer confidence.

It provides for a responsible, open and authoritative body charged with protecting public health in relation to food and with powers to act throughout the food chain. The Agency will work with all interested parties to develop soundly based, balanced policies that command the public's confidence. It will discharge a range of important functions in support of its goal, advising Ministers and the new devolved authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and helping all its stakeholders to meet the challenge of safe food.

The Bill provides for the Food Standards Agency to be a UK body. The Government will consult with the new devolved authorities to establish whether they are content to proceed with legislation on a UK basis in the way proposed in the draft Bill.

We want our proposals to be subject to full scrutiny, so that we can get it right from the start. The consultation that begins today seeks comments from all interested parties over the next eight weeks. The draft Bill will also be scrutinised by a Select Committee of Members of this House constituted for this purpose. We will refine our proposals in the light of the comments we have invited. If legislative time permits, we hope to be in a position to introduce the Bill during this session of Parliament.

We have already made considerable progress in strengthening the present arrangements in preparation for the Agency. The challenge now is to ensure that the changes we propose meet the robust standard that consumers and businesses alike can expect.