§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will instruct his inspectors involved with enforcing rules and regulations in relation to food or drink to do so in the least burdensome manner. [44917]
§ Mr. RookerMAFF Inspectorates and Agencies are already working to incorporate the Enforcement Concordat, launched by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 4 March 1998,Official Report, columns692–94, into their Codes of Enforcement or Service Standards to achieve better, andinter alia proportionate, enforcement which is nevertheless consistent with protecting consumers. Further, in the light of the voluntary approach to good enforcement which the Concordat promotes, we are reviewing enforcement procedures made under section 5 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 and applied through legislation to section 10 of the Food Safety Act 1990 as this has been found to be burdensome.