Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 21 February 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 13 July 2000. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Thursday, 13 July 2000 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason his Department sought exemption for medicines from the ban on specified bovine offals when this was introduced for the food chain. - Inc fact that do not have information to answer. (Holding answer 1 March 2000).

Answer: Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason his Department sought exemption for medicines from the ban on specified bovine offals when this was introduced for the food chain. [111898] Yvette Cooper: [holding answer 1 March 2000]: The long established convention that Ministers generally are not given access to papers of a previous administration that would reveal former Ministers' opinions means that I do not have the information to answer this question. However I have already asked that all possible information on this topic be released directly to the BSE inquiry.

Secondary information