During the Ministerial Statement on the sale of products in supermarkets containing horsemeat, I asked the Minister about how he would ensure food safety is ensured. The question and response are below. The full statement and questions on it can be read here:
Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) (Lab): Is it more or less likely that this sort of food safety scandal will happen again in view of the reduction in food safety surveillance and the downgrading of food safety regulations?
Mr Heath: As I have said, I do not think that there is a downgrading of surveillance. We take the matter extremely seriously and ensure that what we do is targeted in the most effective way in order to pick up irregularities when they occur. It is very important that people recognise that. It is also important to recognise that we had here a system picking up a defect, not ignoring it.
