asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is appropriate for the headquarters of the proposed Food Standards Agency to be located in a building the ground floor of which is a branch of a national supermarket chain. [HL3308]

The building which is being leased to provide the headquarters for the proposed Food Standards Agency is part of a mixed office and commercial refurbishment and development in the Holborn area. In line with planning consents, the developer is letting the ground floor separately for retail use, including a retail chemist and a supermarket. The choice of tenants is a commercial matter for the developer, and it would have been inappropriate for the Government to attempt to influence his decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of the annual income of the Meat Hygiene Service will contribute to the annual running of the proposed Food Standards Agency; and whether the agency would require additional funding if the Meat Hygiene Service was not absorbed into its structure. [HL3310]

The Government propose that the Meat Hygiene Service should become an Executive Agency of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Its funding will thus be accounted for separately from that of the Food Standards Agency. Meat Hygiene Service charges collected under the Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Charges) Regulations 1998 cannot be used to fund non MHS activities, such as the FSA running costs.