Volume 1

Food safety : fourth report / Agriculture Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Agriculture Committee.
Date:
1998
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Food safety : fourth report / Agriculture Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Leadership 118. It is impossible to overstate the importance of appointing the right individuals to the Commission, and to the post of Chief Executive. This is particularly relevant, bearing in mind the sourcing of much of the FSA staff initially from MAFF and the need for the Agency to acquire rapidly a new open and trustworthy ethos. We believe that the key criterion for successful leadership will be the Agency’s credibility with the consumer. In particular, the Chief Executive will need to demonstrate considerable experience of serving and working for consumers; communication skills of the highest order; a vigorous target-driven approach to the solution of complex problems; and experience of managing a high-profile national organisation. Public advertisement of key posts is essential, and the Chairperson of the Commission and the Chief Executive must be able to command the confidence of consumers without alienating producers. They will both need to be outstanding communicators. In particular, they will need to demonstrate considerable experience of serving and working for consumers; a rigorous target-driven approach to the solution of complex problems; and experience of managing a high-profile national organisation. These “paragons of virtue”, in Dr Cunningham’s phrase”’, will also need to carry authority within the scientific community (though they would not need to be scientists themselves). If it is not possible to identify individuals of sufficient calibre, the formal launch of this Agency should be delayed. A poorly-led Agency would be worse than no Agency at all. Crisis management 119, In the short term at least, the existence of a Food Standards Agency will not of itself diminish the likelihood of food crises or scares arising. The success of the Agency in establishing credibility will probably hinge on its ability to handle the first crisis it encounters. A clear crisis management plan is required, establishing a procedure for dealing with the public and the key elements of the food chain. The Agency must clearly demonstrate that it is more effective at dealing with crises than MAFF has been in the past. Openness 120. Over the course of this inquiry, we heard from many witnesses about the need for the FSA to be open in all its activities, transparent in its decision-making, and accountable to the public as well as to Parliament’. In particular we noted that this was an issue of great importance to academics and consumer groups, possibly because of “the secrecy which surrounded the decision making” of MAFF in the past”*’. The creation of the FSA provides an opportunity to break with these traditions. The activities of the Agency and its advisory committees must take place in the open sunshine of public scrutiny and accountability. We look to the Agency to reach its decisions by open processes and to develop imaginative ways of ensuring its accountability and openness to the general public at both national and local level. Consumer representation and input 121. A stated aim of the FSA is that it will “deal...with a...wide range of interest groups...most importantly, consumers’”*°. However, despite the fact that a majority, of the Agency’s Commissioners will “come from a wider public interest background without any specific affiliation”**' we are not convinced that adequate mechanisms exist in the present proposals either to consult with consumers or to bring the consumer viewpoint to the heart of the FSA’s 237 238 239 240 241 Q 1569 See, for example, Appendices 39, 69; C111, p 2 Ev p 392 Cm. 3830, Foreword ibid, para 6.6 7