§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whom the Government have consulted on the funding of the Food Standards Agency. [58993]
§ Mr. Rooker[holding answer 9 November 1998]: The White Paper 'The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change' set out the Government's proposals for funding the Agency. This has been the subject of full public consultation and discussion with a wide range of organisations and individuals. The Government will consult further at the next stage on detailed proposals for recovering the new costs associated with the Agency from the food industry in a way that is administratively simple and fair to small businesses.