§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the report of the Risk Assessment Group which she established to study illegal meat imports. [77356]
§ Margaret Beckett[holding answer 28 October 2002]: The risk assessment is being carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA). The work commenced in March 2002 and we expect the report to be published later this year.
Preliminary results are currently being subjected to peer review and quality assurance procedures. The full results and final report will be published when this process is complete.