§ Sir Anthony GrantTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when part 11 of the report of the Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food will be published.
§ Mr. DorrellSir Mark Richmond submitted part II of his Committee's report to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It is being published today.
In this, the final part, the Committee has examined arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland for red meat production, milk and milk products, fish and shellfish, transport, retailing and wholesaling, catering, the consumer and the home, education and training, and research. Part II together with part I, surveys authoritatively a wide range of microbiological safety issues and recommends technical, scientific, legal and educational measures to reduce the risk of microbiological food poisoning. In this context my colleagues and I welcome the report as a useful and constructive document. It makes many useful recommendations which we shall follow up in a positive way; and as with part I of the Committee's report, we trust that others to whom the recommendations are addressed, in particular the food industry and environmental health authorities, will similarly examine it to see how the level of food safety in this country can be further improved. We shall certainly draw it to the attention of interested bodies.
As with part I of the Committee's report, the Government have decided to publish its immediate response to the Committee's recommendations. This is set out in a paper which is being put into the Libraries.
The Government and I are most grateful to the Committee for the hard work it has put into producing both parts of the report.
The report is addressed to the Secretary of State for Health, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Secretary of State for Wales and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.