Food Standards Agency (Hansard, 21 May 2004)

§ Miss Melanie Johnson

[holding answer 11 May 2004]: Ministers have answered 1,281 Parliamentary Questions, two adjournment debates and no urgent questions on the 1260W work of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) since it was established. There has been one Opposition Day debate, eight European Scrutiny Debates in European Standing Committee C, one debate on a prayer against a Statutory Instrument in the House of Commons and one in the House of Lords, seven Select Committees where both oral and written evidence was provided and six Select Committees where written memoranda only were provided. FSA policy areas have not been debated in Westminster Hall. Health Ministers have not taken Primary Legislation through Parliament on behalf of FSA.

The FSA is a United Kingdom non-Ministerial department established by the Food Standards Act 1999. It is accountable to the Westminster Parliament through the Secretary of State for Health and to the administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through the relevant Health Ministers. Under the 1999 Act, the FSA's expenditure is paid out of money provided by Parliament and the administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its Annual Report and Accounts is laid before the Westminster Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Its Chief Executive is the FSA Principal Accounting Officer.

Correspondence to Health Ministers from hon. and right hon. Members about issues for which the FSA is responsible normally receives a reply from the relevant Minister. The Chairman and Chief Executive of FSA reply to correspondence addressed directly to them.

The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is an executive agency of the FSA. It is responsible for enforcement of meat hygiene and BSE-related legislation in licensed meat plants in Great Britain. It also carries out certain functions on behalf of the Environment and Rural Affairs Departments.