§ Mr. JackTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will next be asking SEAC to consider the need for maintaining the over thirty months scheme. [45499]
Dr. John Cunningham[holding answer 15 June 1998]: I recently met Professor Sir John Pattison, chairman of SEAC, to discuss a number of issues in relation to the future work of the Committee. The Committee advises Government on all issues in relation to the spongiform encephalopathy diseases and that includes keeping under review the measures currently in force to protect public and animal health. If the Committee considered, in the light of developments, that some measures were no longer necessary or could be altered while at the same time maintaining a proper degree of protection for public and animal health, I would expect the Committee to make such recommendations to the Government, but I have not specifically asked the Committee to review this legislation. I have always made it clear that our first priority must be to protect consumers and I will continue to operate on that basis.