Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the level of compliance in the restaurant and catering sector regarding beef labelling; the number of inspections that have been carried out; the number of staff dedicated to this purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24877/07]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for enforcing food law, including the Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations 2006 (S.I No. 307 of 2006) which were amended in February 2007. These regulations are enforced by Environmental Health Officers of the Health Service Executive (HSE) on foot of a service contract with the FSAI. Some 400 Environmental Health Officers work on the enforcement of food legislation.

As the beef labelling regulations are relatively new, arrangements for recording specific checks for compliance are not yet finalised but the HSE and the FSAI are currently examining this issue with a view to ensuring that this information will be collected in 2008 and subsequent years.

The Deputy may wish to note that these Regulations do not relate to food safety but rather to consumer information.