Vol. 545 No. 5
41 Mr. D. Moynihan asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the Food Safety Promotions Board, including its membership, headquarters, the number of meetings held, and its remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30053/01]
In the context of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, an agency with responsibility for the promotion of food safety, the Food Safety Promotion Board, FSPB, was established as one of the six North-South Implementation Bodies. The functions of the FSPB, as provided for in the British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999, are as follows: the promotion of food safety; research into food safety; the communication of food alerts; the surveillance of food-borne diseases; the promotion of scientific co-operation and linkages between laboratories; and the development of cost-effective facilities for specialised laboratory testing.
The FSPB has its headquarters in Little Island, County Cork and a sub-office will be established in Dublin to facilitate the marketing and communications functions of the board and also to ensure that meetings are facilitated at a location that is convenient for the participants. The chief executive officer of the FSPB reports to the North South Ministerial Council – NSMC. The FSPB has a broadly based advisory board, which was established on 2 December 1999.
The members of the advisory board are: Mr. Bertie Kerr – chairman; Professor Michael Gibney – vice-chairman; Mr. Don Anderson; Mr. Leslie Craig; Ms Carmel Foley; Mr. Ronan Garvey; Professor Cecily Kelliher; Mr. Damien O'Dwyer; Dr. Danny O'Hare; Ms Anne Speed; Professor Seán Strain; and Mr. Michael Walker.
