§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases there were of food poisoning in(a) Coventry and (b) the UK in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2001. [37309]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 27 February 2002]: The table sets out the numbers of notified cases of food poisoning for Coventry and the United Kingdom for 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The numbers of notified cases of food poisoning are likely to underestimate considerably the actual incidence of food poisoning.
Notified cases of food poisoning for Coventry and UK 1998–2001 Year Coventry United Kingdom 1998 464 105,060 1999 434 96,866 2000 322 98,076 2001* 406* 95,807* *Provisional figures. Sources:
England and Wales— Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS).
Scotland—the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) and the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) divisions of the Common Services Agency of the National Health Service in Scotland.
Northern Ireland—Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Northern Ireland (DHSSPS).
1619W
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has undertaken into new strains of bacteria that lead to food poisoning. [37619]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 27 February 2002]: The Food Standards Agency has a programme of research the objectives of which are to increase the understanding of how an where pathogenic micro-organisms enter the food chain and to assess how specific food handling and production processes affect the survival, growth and toxin formation of micro-organisms in food. Details of recent research are available in the "Food Standards Agency Research Programme Annual Report 2001" and under "Science" on the Food Standards Agency website (www.food.gov.uk). A copy of the latest report has been placed in the Library.