§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library an organisational chart showing how different parts of the Food Standards Agency relate to each other. [36614]
§ Mr. RookerNo decisions have yet been taken on the internal organisation of the Food Standards Agency, which cannot come into being until Parliament has approved the necessary legislation.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much of the current spending on food safety by his Department will be transferred to the proposed Food Standards Agency; and if he will list those areas of work which will be transferred to the Food Standards Agency. [36617]
§ Mr. RookerThe intention is that the work currently carried out in the MAFF/DH Joint Food Safety and Standards Group and the associated research, together with the Meat Hygiene Service, should transfer to the Agency. Final decisions on the precise responsibilities of the Agency will be taken in the light of the response to consultation on the White PaperThe Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change (CM3830).
407WThe White Paper indicated that where responsibility transfers to the Agency, the associated budgetary resources will also transfer. However the White paper also made clear that the Government intend to consult on proposals for new charges which would allow a greater proportion of the costs of food safety work to be passed from the taxpayer to the food industry. Decisions on the amount of funds to be transferred by the Department to the new Agency will be taken after this further consultation exercise.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans he has to modify his original proposals on the Food Standards Agency before the draft legislation is published; [36615]
(2) if he will publish a summary of his conclusions following the consultation exercise on the Food Standards Agency. [36616]
§ Mr. RookerPublic consultation on the White PaperThe Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change closed in mid-March. Around 950 responses have been received and are currently being analysed. The Government will report in due course on its conclusions, which will be reflected in the draft legislation.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) which Acts of Parliament will require amendment to accommodate the Food Standards Agency; [36612]
(2) which areas of the proposed Food Standards Agency will be defined in new (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation. [36613]
§ Mr. RookerThe Government are currently considering what legislative provisions will be necessary to bring the proposed Food Standards Agency into being. A draft Bill will be published in due course for public consultation.