§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce a system for training and registering catering workers to ensure complete hygiene in cafes and restaurant establishments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonTraining schemes are already available. The Industrial Training Act, 1964, for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is responsible, provides for the training of workers and the Hotel and Catering Industry Training Board includes food hygiene in its curricula and training material. Colleges of advanced technology, bodies such as the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene and the Royal Society of Health and the local authorities have courses for food handlers. Efficient management too is involved, particularly in training on the job.
The big turnover in catering workers would militate against registration. Moreover the provisions of the Food Hygiene Regulations when vigorously employed already give the local enforcing authorities adequate powers for ensuring that catering workers maintain good standards of food hygiene.