(1)In the aftermath of his department’s response to the listeriosis outbreak, (a) what kind of regulatory measures is his department considering in order to ensure food health and safety, (b) what sort of consultations has his department had with the various industries in relation to the listeriosis outbreak and (c)(i) who was consulted and (ii) what information was obtained during these consultations;
(2) (a) when will proposed guidelines on levels of Listeria monocytogenes be published to serve as minimum standard for the industry and (b) will the standards apply only to the meat processing industry or will they be applicable across all food categories and their related value chains;
(3) whether any interim guidelines or an interim protocol for the food sector on Listeria levels will be published so that industry is clear on what basis they can operate; if not, will the industry continue to operate on 100 cfus per gram in a 25 g sample, as is currently the practice;
(4) what are the acceptable levels of Listeria monocytogenes that he has considered;
(5) (a) what is his policy position on the establishment of an independent food health and safety agency to align all areas of food handling and manufacturing regulation and (b) what action will he take to support the existence of such an agency?