HC Deb 06 February 1986 vol 91 c255W
20. Mr. Meadowcroft

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received on the implications of the application of the Official Secrets Act to members of committees concerned with food standards.

Mrs. Fenner

A small number of people have wrongly suggested that the Food Advisory Committee operates under a cloak of secrecy in the way it offers advice to Ministers.

41. Mr. Freud

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why it is his policy to keep confidential material submitted to, and proceedings of, official committees dealing with nutritional matters.

Mrs. Fenner

All the reports of the Food Advisory Committee are published and are thus available to members of the public. Where those reports refer to supporting material, the committee requests the holder of that material also to make it available to inquirers from the public. In some cases it is necessary to respect the commercial confidentiality of certain information.