HC Deb 18 July 2003 vol 409 cc831-2W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list(a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on certificates of specific character for agricultural products and Foodstuffs, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110302]

Mr. Bradshaw

The EU committee on certificates of specific character for agricultural products and foodstuffs does not have a fixed membership, but consists of delegates drawn from each of the 15 European member states.

The Committee has met only once since January 2002, on 22 July 2002, to discuss amendments to the current Commission regulation setting out the detailed rules for the administration of the scheme. These discussions are continuing.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee on geographical indications and protected designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House. [110489]

Mr. Bradshaw

The EU committee on geographical indications and protected designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs does not have a fixed membership, but consists of delegates drawn from each of the 15 European member states. Since 17 April 2003, delegates from the 10 EU accession states have also been invited to attend meetings.

The Committee has met on the following dates since January 2002: 9 April 2002, 16 May 2002, 22 July 2002, 5 February 2003, and 4 June 2003. It discusses a range of issues relating to the operation of the scheme as well as particular applications such as whether or not feta cheese should be registered as a Protected Designation of Origin. The Committee also considered the implications of Judgments from the European Court of Justice relating to Parma Ham and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Any legislative proposals are submitted to Parliament under established scrutiny procedures and are considered and reported on by the House of Lords European Union Committee, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee and the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland. This happened in the case of the proposal to register feta cheese.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU Standing Veterinary Committee, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House. [110495]

Mr. Bradshaw

The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), which was known as the Standing Veterinary Committee prior to March 2002, has met 46 times between 1 January 2002 and 7 July 2003. The meetings are attended by veterinary and technical experts from all Member States, Norway, Iceland and, more recently, Accession States. The Chief Veterinary Officer is the official representative for the UK although a deputy usually attends in his place.

The agendas cover a wide variety of animal and public health issues. The Committee can adopt secondary legislation in the form of Commission Decisions and Regulations. Most Decisions are adopted to address immediate but routine disease or contamination problems within the EU or in non EU countries and it is therefore not appropriate to communicate such decisions to the House. There have, however, been rare occasions since January 2002 where issues before the Committee have been subject to Parliamentary Scrutiny.

Full reports of SVC and SCoFCAH meetings including details of the decisions can be viewed on the Commission website. The addresses are:

www.europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/svc/index en.html and www.europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scfcah/ahaw/index en.html