Health and Community Care Committee, 12 Dec 2001

Meeting date: Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Official Report 177KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No 14) (Scotland) Order 2001<br />(SSI 2001/451)

Agenda item 2 concerns the time limit on debate. Members have been asked to indicate in advance whether they want to debate the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No 14) (Scotland) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/451). No comments have been received from members, so it is suggested that the committee agrees not to debate the instrument. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 3, we must deal with the emergency instrument, which is subject to the affirmative procedure. I welcome Mary Mulligan, who is with us in her capacity as the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care. I think that we all share her ideas about ensuring that the committee works well with her and with Hugh Henry, who will join us later for our discussions on the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Bill. This is Mary Mulligan's first attempt at dealing with an emergency instrument on shellfish. We are well versed in doing so.

The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No 14) (Scotland) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/451) is before the committee. The Subordinate Legislation Committee has nothing to report and no comments have been received from members. I ask the minister to move the motion.

Good morning. I look forward to working with the committee.

Today's discussion concerns the emergency order banning the catching of king scallops in waters off the west coast of Scotland. The order prohibits the harvesting of king scallops and has been triggered due to the finding of amnesic shellfish poison above the levels set by Europe. This is a consumer safety measure, as scallops that contain high levels of toxins can cause illness in humans—ranging from nausea, vomiting, headaches and, in extreme circumstances, short-term memory loss—and even death, when a large amount of toxin is ingested.

I move,

That the Parliament's Health and Community Care Committee recommends that the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No.14) (Scotland) Order 2001, (SSI 2001/451) be approved.

Motion agreed to.