§ 63. Mrs. Joyce Butlerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek powers to enable public health inspectors to take proceedings to ensure the closure of restaurants which are found to be dirty or unhygienic.
§ Mr. AlisonNo. Restaurants and other catering premises are subject to the comprehensive requirements of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1970 (Statutory Instrument No. 1172/1970). Local authorities have the power to take proceedings against a person and to seek a heavy penalty for each offence if, in their view, he has failed to comply with any of the requirements of the regulations. In addition, Section 14 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, empowers local authorities to ask the courts to disqualify a 65W caterer who is convicted of a breach of the Food Hygiene Regulations. These provisions already provide local authorities with adequate powers to deal with any catering premises that their public health inspectors may find in the course of their enforcement work to be dirty or unhygienic.