§ 15. Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in addition to the Food Standards Agency, what plans the Government have to promote improved food standards and safety throughout the country. [22316]
§ Mr. RookerWe are acting essentially as if the Agency were already in place. We continue to strengthen our approach to food safety issues, giving clear priority to the protection of public health and building on our commitment to openness, transparency and responsiveness to the consumer.
§ 26. Dr. GibsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further research is being carried out by his Department to ensure the safety of UK meat products. [22328]
§ Mr. RookerThe Department funds a substantial programme of research to ensure the safety of meat and meat products. This focuses on the control of foodborne zoonoses and potential zoonoses, meat hygiene and food hygiene. The results of this research, which includes work on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, contribute to the data on which policy decisions and actions are based. In all, it is expected that some £16 million will be deployed in this way during the 1997–98 financial year.