HC Deb 06 April 1989 vol 150 cc288-9W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Heallth when the revised guidelines on cook-chill will be published.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 24 February 1989 to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) at columns824–25.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there will be stiffer regulations regarding temperature control of cook-chill food in the revised guidelines on cook-chill.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

My Department's expert group and the relevant recent research have confirmed that the temperature controls specified in the 1980 guidelines are still appropriate and they are likely to form the basis of the guidance given in the revised guidelines when these are published.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what scientific advice has been taken by his Department in revising the guidelines on cook-chill.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

My Department convened an expert group to review the guidelines on cook-chill catering systems and they provided the core of the scientific advice during the review.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to introduce new statutory powers governing the preparation of cook-chill foods.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The preparation of cook-chill foods is subject to the requirement of the Food Act 1984 and the regulations made under that Act, in the same way as any other food business. Following extensive consultation, the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970 are currently being reviewed.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he intends to take and what proposals he intends to include in the revised guidelines on cook-chill to ensure a high microbiological quality of food used in cook-chill.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

During the review of the existing guidelines my Department's scientific expert group considered the recommended microbiological criteria and considered them to be satisfactory. They took the view that providing the 1980 guidelines were followed, they would provide food of sound microbiological quality. However, absence of listeria monocytogenes has been included in the recommended microbiological specification.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he intends to take and what proposals he intends to include in the revised guidelines on cook-chill to ensure adequate hygiene education and training of cook-chill food handlers.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The production of cook-chill foods covered by the guidelines is subject to the requirements of the Food Act 1984 and the regulations made under that Act, as are all food businesses.

Following extensive consultation the Food Act and its regulations are currently being reviewed and the present proposals include regulation-making powers for Government to require appropriate hygiene training for those involved in food handling.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many studies, and at what cost, his Department has conducted into the microbiological quality of cook-chill foods.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I refer the hon. Member to the reply by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 9

AIDS Cases (United Kingdom figures) HIV anti-body positive (England and Wales)
Men Women Total1 Men Women Total2
Total 2,031 72 2,103 (1,116) 7,358 557 8,025
Injecting drug users only 31 12 43 (22) 418 219 642
Injecting drug users who are homosexual 33 — 33 (15) 72 — 72
1 Deaths shown in brackets
2 Includes small number where sex not specified

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will make a statement on the funding of Mainliners.

Mr. Mellor

Mainliners, a voluntary organisation recently formed to help HIV positive drug users, has applied for a grant towards its administrative expenses to be incurred in 1989–90. The Department has notified Mainliners that, while we value the work that it is doing in this field, its current work is too local to fall within the scope of the general grant scheme that the Department operates under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.