§ Mr. HesfordTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the establishment of the Food Standards Agency will have on the current role of local authorities in analysing food for food safety purposes. [24153]
§ Mr. RookerUnder the proposals in the White Paper, "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change", local authorities will retain responsibility for enforcing general food law under the Food Safety Act 1990, and will therefore continue to need access to a high quality analytical service. A review of the structure of the Public Analyst Service in England and Wales, and the provision of scientific services to local authorities in Scotland, will be initiated early this year.
§ Mr. HesfordTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the role of local authorities within the remit of the Food Standards Agency. [24154]
§ Mr. RookerThe White Paper "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change" proposes that local authorities retain their current responsibility for the enforcement of general food law under the Food Safety Act 1990. The Government are discussing with local authorities measures to improve consistency and, where necessary, remedy any deficiencies in enforcement 569W activity by individual authorities. Local authorities will also retain their current responsibilities for investigating food hazards and outbreaks of food-borne illness in conjunction with the relevant bodies, supported where appropriate by the Agency.