§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to control the costs of Meat Hygiene Service inspections. [64284]
§ Mr. RookerTwo of the principal objectives of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) are to deliver value for money in the provision of efficient and high quality services and to achieve the financial and performance targets set by Ministers. Indeed the Agency has met all its performance targets since it was launched in April 1995.
The Chief Executive of the MHS is responsible to the Minister for the Agency's performance and operations. He is accountable for securing efficiency and economical conduct of the Agency's business. The Agency works in line with government tendering rules to optimise value for money. For example the MHS makes extensive use of contract Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) which it obtains by means of national competitive tendering procedures. These are in line with Government purchasing policy and ensure that the best value for money is obtained for plant operators.
My ministerial colleagues and I monitor closely the financial performance of the Agency. Indeed, MHS charges for each financial year are subject to ministerial agreement before being implemented. We are satisfied that the MHS is meeting its objective of delivering value for money in the provision of efficient and high quality services.