§ Mr. O'HaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the most recent figures showing how many people hold current bank accounts in each of the regions covered by the new regional development agencies in the age ranges (i) 0 to 8, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 50, (iv) 50 to 65, (v) 65 to 85 and (vi) 85 years and over. [88650]
§ Angela EagleI have been asked to reply.
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
§ Mr. RookerThe work of the Meat Hygiene Service is scrutinised by NAO, the Audit Consultancy and Management Services Division of MAFF, operational audits by the State Veterinary Service, the Intervention Board as well as by auditors of the Joint Food Standards and Safety Group.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans his Department has to ensure that the performance of the Meat Hygiene Service is independently monitored. [88279]
§ Mr. RookerThe Meat Hygiene Service's performance targets are set by the Minister and monitored independently by the Audit Consultancy and Management Services Division of MAFF. Information on the Meat Hygiene Service's performance in key areas is made widely available in the monthly publications "Meat Hygiene Enforcement Report" and "BSE Enforcement Bulletin".
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the current arrangements for auditing the performance of the Meat Hygiene Service. [88396]
§ Mr. RookerAudits of the operational performance of the Meat Hygiene Service are carried out by Veterinary Meat Hygiene Advisors of the Joint Food Standards and Safety Group. The auditors visit a selection of licensed premises to assess MHS compliance with the procedures 231W and practices set out in the MHS Operations Manual and a report is published annually. This year the audit manual has been revised and changes made to report formats and the categorisation of findings.
The annual performance targets of the MHS are monitored independently by the Audit Consultancy and Management services Division of MAFF. I am fully satisfied with these arrangements.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria are used by veterinary officers of the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group during their routine audits of Meat Hygiene Service performance to assess the competence and performance of official veterinary surgeons. [88283]
§ Mr. RookerThe audit staff of the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group assess the performance of official veterinary surgeons of the MHS against the procedures contained in the MHS Operations Manual.