Minutes of Performance Strategy Group meeting: 16 February 2006

David Statham (Chair), Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Julie Monk, FSA
Geoff Deville, FSA
Sandie Yeats, FSA
Paul Stubbington, FSA
Michael Harding, FSA
Jacqui Bunyan, FSA Scotland
Rob Wilkins, FSA Wales
Michael Jackson, FSA Northern Ireland
Mark Du Val, Local Authorities Coordinating Office on Regulatory Services (LACORS)
Peter Griggs, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
Andrew Jamieson, Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS)
Edel Ryan, Society of Chief Officers in Scotland (Midlothian Council)
Nick Baker, North Norfolk District Council
Barny Heywood, Northern Ireland Food Safety Group (Omagh Council)

Jenny Morris, CIEH
David Pickering, Trading Standards Institute (TSI)
Malcolm Mathias, East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Jane Davies, FSA Wales

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the eighth meeting of the Performance Strategy Group.

The Chairman asked for comments on the note of the last PSG meeting held on 13 June 2005; there were none.

The Chairman advised the Group that, in order to aid the discussion/brainstorming process, they would divide into two separate syndicate groups. Geoff Deville gave a brief explanation of the discussion paper.

It was explained that Geoff Deville and Sandie Yeats would facilitate at the syndicate groups. Group 1 (facilitated by Sandie Yeats) was made up of Barny Heywood, Nick Baker, Edel Ryan, Julie Monk, Jacqui Bunyan and Rob Wilkins and was asked to focus on questions A, B and E listed in paragraph 3 of the discussion paper. Mark Du Val, Andrew Jamieson, Peter Griggs and Michael Jackson were in Group 2 (facilitated by Geoff Deville) and was asked to focus on questions A, C, D and F.

The Chairman informed the Group that he would not be participating in the syndicate group work; he would rejoin the meeting once the groups had finished their sessions in order to be present for plenary and wash-up.

At this point PSG members broke into their respective syndicate groups.

Secretary�s Note: Secretariat to compile a note of the issues discussed/raised by the two syndicate groups. Once complete, the note will be circulated to PSG members for comment.

The Chairman informed the Group that the FSA's Food Safety Management (HACCP) Implementation Branch are currently working on a short questionnaire designed to capture data on activity levels regarding the Safer Food Better Business campaign. It was envisaged that the questionnaire would be circulated to all local authorities towards the end of the financial year.

Picking up on a point made in the discussion paper at Agenda Item 3, Nick Baker asked if a specific date in April had been chosen for the next meeting of the PSG. He stated that it would be better if the next PSG meeting took place sooner rather than later. The Chairman agreed on this approach but pointed out that it was possible that the next meeting of the Group could slip into early May due to the level of work to be undertaken following the decisions made under agenda item 3. It was confirmed that the Secretariat would contact PSG members to canvass their availability at the end of April/early May.

Action: PSG Secretariat to contact PSG members to canvass their availability at the end of April/beginning of May