170.This Schedule supplements the provisions in section 5 on advisory committees. It provides for the appointment of members, terms of reference, remuneration and expenses of committees for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, and for specialist committees.
171.Paragraph 7 concerns the transfer of existing non-statutory advisory committees. A number of non-statutory independent advisory committees currently exist prior to the establishment of the Agency which deal with food related matters. They include the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP), the Food Advisory Committee (FAC) and the Consumer Panel. Under this paragraph the Secretary of State or the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may direct that these committees be treated as if they were established by the Agency in accordance with section 5 after consulting the Agency and any other authorities to whom the committees in question report.
172.Paragraph 8 provides that the Agency may establish joint committees with another authority. Current examples of joint committees include the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA), the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) and the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs.
Schedule 2: Advisory Committees