Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will report on compliance with the requirement for restaurants and catering outlets to display the origin of meat sold; the numbers of businesses that have been found to infringe this requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9141/07]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the enforcement of food labelling legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). Checks on compliance with the Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations are being incorporated into routine hygiene inspections for establishments covered by these regulations. Such inspections are carried out by the Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in the Health Service Executive (HSE) operating under a service contract with the FSAI.

As the Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 307 of 2006) which have been recently amended by Health (Country of Origin of Beef) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 85 of 2007) are relatively new, the arrangements for recording specific checks for compliance have yet to be finalised. Discussions are ongoing in this regard.

My Department has recognised the need to provide clear information to food business operators regarding their obligation to comply with the new regulations. An explanatory leaflet has been prepared by the FSAI and will be circulated to all relevant food businesses in the coming weeks. A guidance note for EHOs on the enforcement of the regulations was circulated earlier this month.