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Food Safety
4. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many representations his Department has received on issues relating to food safety. [4930]
Dr. David Clark: The consultation period on a food safety Act and the James report closed on 20 June. I am delighted to say that, as of yesterday, more than 600 responses had been received. In addition, ministerial colleagues in other Departments and I have met many other organisations representing a wide cross-section of interests, including consumers, retailers and producers.
Mr. Chapman: I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. Does he agree that if such consultations had taken
place earlier, under the previous Government, we might have avoided many of the expensive difficulties that resulted from their inactivity?
Dr. Clark: My hon. Friend makes a pertinent and real point. We have campaigned for many years to get a food standards agency. Indeed, I remember advancing that proposal about 10 years ago, but it was met with derision by the then Conservative Government.
The James report was commissioned by the Labour party. It has been widely recognised as a great step forward and I believe that it will do a great deal to restore public confidence in food in Britain.
Mr. Soames:
Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the food and farming industries are among the most successful in this country? [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
Order. We must have some order in the House. It is difficult to hear hon. Members who are speaking. I want order from now on.
Mr. Soames:
Does the right hon. Gentleman further agree that it is extremely important that any proposed legislation emanating from his review does not overburden those extremely important and successful industries?
Dr. Clark:
I fully accept that the food and farming industries in Britain have a good reputation. However, there have been a number of food incidents and a number of people have died as a result. It may be that some of those incidents could have been avoided if proper regulations had been in place. Certainly, a great deal of Exchequer money could have been saved if we had avoided the food scares and incidents.
The whole point of a food standards agency is to ensure not only that the British people have confidence in the food that they eat, but that they are able to have access to the best scientific advice on food issues.
5. Mr. Lawrie Quinn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in setting up the food standards agency. [4931]
Dr. David Clark:
We have consulted on the report from Professor James. I propose to make a statement before the summer recess, and it will include a summary of the responses. We aim to produce a White Paper in the autumn and will consult further on a draft Bill thereafter.
Mr. Quinn:
I thank my right hon. Friend for his answer. Although I am interested to hear of the progress on the timetable for the setting up of the food standards agency, will my right hon. Friend say something about any interim measures--[Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
Order. I have just called this House to order. Conversations are far too noisy. I can hear the hon. Gentlemen on the Bench behind the Member who is speaking. Settle down.
Mr. Quinn:
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
What interim measures does my right hon. Friend propose before he can set in motion the timetable that he outlined? On behalf of the pensioners in my constituency of Scarborough and Whitby, I can say that we urgently want a food standards agency. We want to know what interim measures are proposed.
Dr. Clark:
My hon. Friend has raised a serious point. Clearly, it will be some time before the food standards agency is established. We have worked together to ensure that a whole raft of proposals will guarantee that food safety is improved as much as possible. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has established a food standards and safety group to bring together areas central to food standards and food safety issues within his Department--all, we hope, under one roof and one chain of command. Accordingly, the Department of Health is revising its codes of practice on inspections of premises and on the enforcement of food hazard warnings. I assure the House that we are considering a number of proposals to ensure that interim arrangements are in place to guarantee that we can, with confidence, recommend British food to British people.
Mr. Hogg:
May put it to the Chancellor of the Duchy that if we are to have a food standards agency it is extremely important that a Minister is able to explain its decisions to the House? It would be unacceptable if we failed to have an accountable Minister responsible for its decisions.
Dr. Clark:
Of course that is the case. As the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, because he spoke on agriculture at the Dispatch Box, there was much disquiet about the Ministry's handling of food issues. We recognise his substantive point: the food standards agency will ultimately be responsible to the House and we believe that that is better achieved through a Minister at the Department of Health.
6. Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received about the use of special advisers. [4932]
Dr. David Clark:
We have had very few responses on that issue.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
Does the fact that the Chancellor of the Duchy and his Administration have felt it necessary to increase the number of special advisers from 38 to 51 reflect the competence of the special advisers or the calibre of the Ministers whom they advise?
Dr. Clark:
Simply neither. We made it clear that we would have two advisers per Cabinet Minister. We also made it clear that we would strengthen the policy unit at No. 10. There are many advantages in having strategic advice available to Ministers. If Conservative Members are not aware of that by now, given their election defeat, they will never learn.
Sir Patrick Cormack:
To whom are the special advisers supposed to give advice? Does their remit extend to giving advice to the press and local councillors, or should they stick to giving advice to Ministers?
Dr. Clark:
It is a pleasure to welcome the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir P. Cormack) to the
7. Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is proposing to recruit senior civil servants from a broad educational background. [4933]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The Government will continue to ensure that selection for senior civil service posts is on merit, regardless of educational background. The merit principle applies equally to serving civil servants promoted to the senior civil service and, of course, to those recruited from elsewhere.
Mr. Sheerman:
From my temporary perch on the edge of this Bench, may I ask my right hon. Friend to read the Civil Service Commission annual report? It is worrying that there has been a substantial drop in the number of people from ethnic minorities who have been recruited into the senior civil service, and that only 23 per cent. of those getting into the fast stream are women. Can we be content with the fact that senior civil service recruitment is entirely dominated by Oxbridge? Is it not time that the other hundred decent universities supplied a good share of senior civil servants?
Mr. Kilfoyle:
There is a monitoring process to ensure that ethnic minorities and women are appropriately represented in the senior civil service. The numbers being recruited from Oxbridge fell from 44 per cent. to 36 per cent. in the three years from 1993-94 to 1995-96. The fast stream development programme is designed to ensure that recruitment is from the widest range possible of appropriate higher education institutions and other bodies.
Mr. Wilkinson:
Is it not to the House that policy makers look for a broad educational background, very little, or in some cases almost none at all, but from the civil service Her Majesty's Government have the right to expect impartial advice of the highest quality? Is not the hon. Gentleman right to insist that civil servants should be recruited on merit, particularly in the upper ranks, and that there should be no question of reverse or any other kind of discrimination?
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I am happy to agree with the hon. Gentleman: yes, I am quite right. Criteria are set down to ensure that the highest possible calibre of civil servants are recruited, and that is the Government's aim.
8. Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for the City of York (Mr. Bayley) of 4 June, Official Report, columns 378-79, how he proposes to take into account the views of the users of public services in future proposals relating to the citizens charter initiative. [4934]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
We are about to begin a series of visits and forums around the country during which we aim to
Mr. Jones:
How will my hon. Friend consider the needs of those who are elderly and those with disability?
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I am happy to tell my hon. Friend that I shall shortly be meeting a series of forums, including one next week for the elderly, to ascertain their views so that we can ensure that the Government reflect the views of people in all walks of life on the services that they require.
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