asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about the implications for consumers of the process of irradiating food adopted by some food producers.

In the United Kingdom, regulations prohibit the production, importation and sale of irradiated foods for human consumption, except for patients requiring sterile diets. The advisory committee on irradiated and novel foods is currently preparing a report for Health and Agriculture Ministers on the safety and wholesomeness of irradiated foods, and we expect to publish it in due course.