Welsh Government
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Welsh Assembly Government response to Consumer Focus Wales E.coli report

"We have received a copy of the Consumer Focus Wales report and will consider its findings and recommendations.

"The main focus of Professor Pennington's report was on food safety and inspections and not on the Welsh Assembly Government.

"We reject the accusation that we have not taken a stronger role in directing the response to the Inquiry. While individual organisations with specific skills and experience, like the Food Standards Agency and local authority environmental health officers, are responsible for implementing Professor Pennington's recommendations, the Welsh Assembly Government has ensured the response to report and the initial 2005 outbreak was coordinated robustly and effectively. A great deal of work has been done by the Assembly Government, NHS, Food Standards Agency and local authorities to reduce the risk of such events happening again. Ministers and senior officials continue to monitor progress of implementing the recommendations.

"Around 80 per cent - or just over £4billion - of local authority funding is unhypothecated, which means councils can determine how to spend their funding to best meet local needs, including their responsibilities on environmental health and food safety. In addition, in relation to environmental health services, they receive fees and charges they levy, on top of the council tax.

"However, the Assembly Government recognises the financial pressures on local authorities and from 2007-08, provided the 22 local authorities with a share of an additional £180,000 every year and we expect them to use this funding to support the enforcement of European food hygiene legislation.

"In determining the local government settlement, the Assembly Government works with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) to assess the priorities and pressures for the next financial year, and what can be done to meet those needs. This secured an increase of 2.1 per cent or an £81million unhypothecated funding for 2010-11 to enable local authorities to meet their duties including on inspecting and monitoring food premises. The WLGA has acknowledged that this is a fair but challenging settlement in the context of the wider public expenditure constraints. We accept that future public expenditure will be challenging and that all public sector organisations will need to work together in new and innovative ways to protect frontline services. In Conwy and Denbighshire, for example, they have appointed a joint Food Standards Manager.

"The Welsh Assembly Government has also published new guidance to the NHS and local authorities on buying food to ensure food that is served is safe.

"It must be remembered that although we have put in place a raft of stringent measures to do all we can to prevent a repeat happening, we can never totally prevent against individuals who are determined to circumvent the law, as William Tudor did."

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Food safety in Wales has been given a boost with the launch of new food-buying guidance by the Assembly Government's Value Wales' Division.

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