Lord Blythasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the provisions of the Food Standards Bill, if approved by Parliament unaltered, would give them sufficient powers to create under the aegis of the proposed Food Standards Agency a national food safety law enforcement authority, assuming in part or in whole the food safety law enforcement powers of local authorities, without further reference to 102WA Parliament other than by way of statutory instruments; and whether they intend to create such an authority.[HL3311]
§ Lord DonoughueThe Food Standards Bill would enable the Food Standards Agency to be named as an enforcement authority under Section 6 of the Food Safety Act 1990, in respect of regulations and orders made under that Act. This would however be an exception to the arrangements under the 1990 Act, which generally provide for local authorities to enforce food safety law. The Government have no intention of creating a national food safety law enforcement authority under the aegis of the proposed Food Standards Agency—indeed the Bill acknowledges the continuing role of local authorities by including powers to monitor their work.