Food Standards Agency: Triennial Review of Six Scientific Advisory Committees
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)
On 10 September 2015, I announced the commencement of the triennial review by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for the six scientific advisory committees (SACs) for which the FSA is the sole or lead sponsor (HCSW183).
The six committees are: the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF); the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF); the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP); the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT); the General Advisory Committee on Science (GACS); and the Social Science Research Committee (SSRC).
The FSA reviewed all six bodies as a cluster, which provided a more efficient review process, and allowed the review to consider any gaps or overlaps in the committees’ functions and opportunities for efficiencies in their operation.
The FSA consulted widely with relevant stakeholders, including Government departments and agencies, the devolved Administrations and others with an interest in the work of the committees. The FSA also completed an open call for evidence so that all those with an interest could contribute. I am grateful to all those who contributed to the review.
I am now pleased to announce the completion of the review and publication of the final report.
The review made eight recommendations which, in summary, concluded that:
The functions performed by the ACMSF and COT are still required and they should be retained as advisory non-departmental public bodies;
The advisory risk assessment functions of the ACNFP and the ACAF should be replaced with a new committee which would retain any future functions required from these two committees within the framework of a wider remit on innovation in the food chain;
The FSA should follow similar models in other Government Departments with external chief scientific advisers and replace the GACS (established in 2007 to provide independent advice and challenge to FSA’s then internal chief scientist) with a Science Council;
The SSRC should review its future work programme and membership to provide strategic support, scientific advice and challenge which will inform the FSA in delivery of its strategic objectives and help it understand its impact, reflecting the priorities in the new FSA strategic plan;
The three FSA committees, the SSRC, the new Committee on Innovation in the Food Chain and the new FSA Science Council, should continue to operate openly and transparently as expert committees for the FSA; and
A number of areas of good practice were also identified by the review, and a further four recommendations are made about how to improve the efficiency and impact of the SACs work and to ensure they continue to meet the highest standards of governance.
The FSA will now discuss and determine how the recommendations can be implemented. The final report of the review is available online.
Attachments can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-03-24/HCWS651/.
[HCWS651]