§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the implications of his White Paper, "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change", for the location, continued employment prospects and managerial lines of accountability of the staff working for(a) the Meat Hygiene Service and (b) other divisions and agencies of his Department at his Department's offices at King's Pool, York. [24040]
§ Mr. RookerThe White Paper proposes that the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) should continue to operate as a separate entity but report in future to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and through it to Department of Health Ministers, rather than to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as at present. The MHS is currently expected to retain its headquarters in York and its network of regional offices. There will be a continuing requirement for its staff to be based at meat plants throughout the country.
The White Paper does not propose any changes to the location of the other divisions and agencies based at the Department's offices in Kings Pool, York.