§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) staff and (b) inspection staff have been employed by the Food Standards Agency in each year since 1997. [99765]
§ Ms BlearsThe Food Standards Agency (FSA) was established in April 2000 on a United Kingdom-wide basis. It employed 594 staff at 31 March 2001 and 657 at 31 March 2002. The FSA's audit and veterinary meat hygiene adviser team of 11 staff carries out audit visits and reports on the performance of the meat hygiene service (MHS). The MHS employs 1,300 meat hygiene inspectors and meat technicians.