Vol. 492 No. 4
25 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the budget allocated by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland for the establishment and operation of the food safety information centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10524/98]
The amount allocated by my Department to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland for 1998 is £2.238 million from which the authority must meet all of its current expenditure requirements including those of its information centre. The funding of the information centre is, strictly speaking, a matter for the authority itself. However, the authority has advised that the costs in 1998 are as follows: establishment costs, £140,746; estimated operational costs, £246,000.
The information centre opened on 28 April and is at a very early stage in its development. The demand for its services by consumers etc. will directly influence costs involved and the authority will closely monitor this aspect. In the light of developments the authority may need to adjust costing involved.
