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42
Principal Statutes Officers responsible
Weights and Measures Act, 1963. (Method of Weights and Measures Inspectors (Public
marking weights and measures of pre-packed Control).
articles).
Trade Descriptions Act, 1969. (Applying Weights and Measures Inspectors or other
false indications or trade descriptions to designated officer of the Town Clerk's
goods). Public Control Section; matters relating to
food by Public Health Inspectors (Food
Section of the Health Department).
Public Health Act, 1936 (Abatement of Public Health Inspectors (Food Section of
Statutory nuisance in food premises). the Health Department).
Food and Drugs Act, 1955. (Hygiene, Public Health Inspectors (Food Section of
adulteration, description, standards and the Health Department).
labelling).
It has been important to define clearly the division of responsibility for matters associated with
consumer protection and this has involved close liaison between the weights and measures
inspectors and the public health inspectors concerned.
In the past the local Citizens' Advice Bureaux have provided a consumer protection and advisory
service for the general public. The Council decided, however, that this should be extended by
setting up a liaison Committee on which Public Control, the Food Section of the Health Department,
and the Citizens' Advice Bureaux would be represented for the purpose of:—
(a) providing publicity as to the assistance the Council and the C.A.B. can give to consumers;
(b) collating and distributing information of consumer interest, and
(c) ensuring that any enquiry or reasonable complaint falling within the definition of consumer
protection is speedily directed to the source of information or action most likely to be
effective.
In this connection meetings have been taking place between the officers of the Departments
concerned and representatives of the four Citizens' Advice Bureaux in the City.
From the division of responsibilities in the Food Section between the Food Premises Group and
the Food Control Group, which embraces consumer protection, it will be noted that the former
specialises in matters to do with the hygienic construction, equipping, and general operation of food
premises, including catering establishments, whilst the latter control the description, composition
and conditon of food, including all facets of food trading in other than fixed premises.
In order to give full coverage to these duties, the inspectors of the Section and inspectors and
technical assistants from other Sections of the Department have throughout the year been undertaking
late night duties. In the work of the Food Control Group this has included a special investigation
in relation to specific foods and itinerant street vendors. In the Premises Group the arrangement
has enabled frequent inspections to be made of club kitchens which operate only at night, and to
examine them under working conditions. The visits however were not confined only to clubs—other
catering establishments were visited and conditions of food handling and preparation examined
where staff were working under the pressures of evening trade.
The past year has seen a greater public awareness of the work of the Department in the field of
consumer protection and in consequence the number of enquiries received will undoubtedly increase.
This upward trend is likely to continue now that the City Council has implemented measures for
giving greater publicity to its consumer protection service.
Poultry Processing Premises
There are no poultry processing premises in Westminster.
Slaughter of Animals
There are no slaughter houses in Westminster, but in the grounds of the Zoological Society of
London for many years there has been a knacker's yard, licensed by the Council, where slaughtering
takes place for animal feeding purposes. The necessary licence for this and for the slaughterman who
works there were renewed during the year.