Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of prosecutions made since 2002 to date in 2008 in each county in which people have been selling off imported meat products as guaranteed Irish products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47430/08]

Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the enforcement of labelling legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and its official agents, which include the Health Service Executive, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Local Authorities.

I am informed that the prosecution data received by the FSAI from its official agencies indicates the legislation against which the prosecution was taken, but does not necessarily identify the specific offence under that legislation (e.g. mislabelling with regards to origin). Furthermore, the FSAI does not collate data on prosecutions by county.

I have asked the Chief Executive Officer of the FSAI to identify and to forward, directly to the Deputy, details on those prosecutions, relating to mislabelling of country of origin.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will appoint one person to oversee all policy on the implementation of food safety; if the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and her Department will have their competences merged to ensure against future food scares; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47533/08]

Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for ensuring that food produced and marketed in Ireland meets the highest standard of safety and hygiene possible. It ensures that food complies with national and EU legislation and, where appropriate, with the provisions of codes of good practice.works closely with my Department and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The current food safety system was introduced following the various crises that beset the European food industry in the 1990s. I believe that this approach has served Ireland well. Some of the major achievements since this restructuring include a dramatic decline in the numbers of BSE cases in the national herd which is largely due to the strict enforcement of food safety controls throughout the food chain, an increase in the number of food premises that have put in place food safety management system based on the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point systems (HACCP) as required by law and the reduction of salt in processed foods which has been achieved through working in partnership with industry.

The efficiency and robustness of this system has been acknowledged by international experts. In 2008, the FSAI was awarded the World Health Organisation's Food Safety Award, a testimony to its excellent international reputation and a validation of the strong performance of the Irish food safety system. In addition, there was widespread favourable response to the speed and efficiency with which the three organisations dealt with the recent pork incident. French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier welcomed Ireland's actions, stating that Ireland "reacted very rapidly". Androulla Vassilou, the European commissioner for public health, expressed satisfaction with Ireland's actions. Domestically, industry representatives welcomed the quick response from the Irish food safety system.