64 food outlets forced to shut - Is it time to shut this expensive FSAI quango?

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Binomial

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Indo: 64 food outlets forced to shut

Is it time to shut this expensive FSAI quango? We are suffering too much over regulation from the nanny state.

These restauranteurs are only trying to eek out a living in these reccessionary times and quangos such as this are forcing them out of business with excessive red tape, audits and record keeping.

Its time these quangos were abolished.
 
Did you read the article you've linked to?

"RODENT droppings, maggots on meat and putrid fish were just some of the nasties found by health inspectors in food businesses last year."...doesn't exactly sound like excessive regulation was responsible for the closures if this is the kind of thing being found.
 
If I was to pick an agency to shut down it wouldn't be the FSAI and it certainly wouldn't be for doing the job we need them to do!!!
 
Binomial said:
Indo: 64 food outlets forced to shut

Is it time to shut this expensive FSAI quango? We are suffering too much over regulation from the nanny state.

These restauranteurs are only trying to eek out a living in these reccessionary times and quangos such as this are forcing them out of business with excessive red tape, audits and record keeping.

Its time these quangos were abolished.
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:confused:

So these poor restauranteurs who break the law and cut corners at the expense of other restaurants that don't and put public health at risk deserve our sympathy?
 
Binomial said:
Indo: 64 food outlets forced to shut

Is it time to shut this expensive FSAI quango? We are suffering too much over regulation from the nanny state.

These restauranteurs are only trying to eek out a living in these reccessionary times and quangos such as this are forcing them out of business with excessive red tape, audits and record keeping.

Its time these quangos were abolished.
Click to expand...


Are you involved in the food business per chance?
 
The FSAI falls under the remit of the Depatrment of Health.

The following is what Dr James Reilly had to say about its future in the Dail.


Minister for Health (Deputy James Reilly):Table A outlines the non-commercial state agencies under the aegis of my Department, their allocation where funded by the Department and staff (WTE) numbers.

Table B outlines the boards\agencies to which I nominate/appoint board members but are funded through the HSE, with the exception of the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal, whose funding is administered through this Department..

The primary aim of the programme of agency rationalisation within the health sector is to streamline service delivery, professional registration and policy making in a number of areas, through the integration and/or amalgamation of functions. The rationalisation programme involves a significant legislative programme and a considerable amount of work is ongoing in this area at present.

5 Bodies are currently being dissolved/subsumed;
National Cancer Registry Board,
Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council,
Optician Board, National Council for Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery and
the Drug Treatment Centre Board, with legislation at various stages of preparation.

The future reconfiguration of agencies within my Department is currently being considered by Government.
Table A
Agency, Location, Allocation € (m), Staffing (WTE) ,
An Bord Altranais Dublin Self funding 40.5
Dental Council Dublin Self funding 5
Food Safety Authority of Ireland Dublin 16.6 76.9
Food Safety Promotions Board Cork 6.0 31.8
Health and Social Care Professional Council Dublin 1.9 8
Health Information Quality Authority Cork 11.7 148.9
Health Insurance Authority Dublin Self funding 8.6
Health Research Board Dublin 32.3 69.5
Irish Blood Transfusion Service Dublin Self funding 550
Irish Medicines Board Dublin 3.3 258.9
Medical Council Dublin Self funding 52.5
Mental Health Commission Dublin 15.0 36.6
National Cancer Registry Board Cork 2.8 52.5
National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing & Midwifery Dublin 1.7 11.5
National Paediatric Hospital Development Board Dublin Funded by HSE 1.5
National Treatment Purchase Fund Dublin 85.6 46.6
Opticians Board Dublin Self funding 2
Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland Dublin Self funding 23.6
Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council Kildare 3.0 16
Click to expand...
So the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Dublin costs €16.6m/pa and has 76.9 staff Whole Time Equivalent and the minister envisages some future reconfiguration of this agency.
 
How can an agency have a cost per employee of €215'000?
I presume that their average wage isn't €100'000 (they aen't the ESB!) so where does the money go?!
 
Actually by comparison with the others, that isn't so bad. I would expect that wages are only a part of that bill since I assume they would need laboratory work whereas some of the other agencies wouldn't. The really expensive ones per employee are
food Safety Promotions Board (guess that is due to the marketing) €5.3m
Health and Social Care Professional Council €4.2m
National Treatment Purchase ('nuff said) €1.8m
However I would guess that in every case the amount spent on staff bears no relation to the budget.
 
Purple said:
How can an agency have a cost per employee of €215'000?
I presume that their average wage isn't €100'000 (they aen't the ESB!) so where does the money go?!
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Certainly that sounds like someone needs to check if they are offering value for money, and if the service they provide can be provided for less public money but the OPs suggestion of getting rid of health inspectors for restaurants is a laughable suggestion.
 
suggestion of getting rid of health inspectors for restaurants is a laughable suggestion.
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Don't see what's so laughable about it; we happily do without building inspectors for new buildings, cheerfully allow people to purchase unsafe apartments, and have no qualms about families living in houses with dangerous foundations....so why not save some money & scrap the FSAI? Sounds like a good enough plan to me :(
 
People buy far more burgers than apartments, the risk of consuming fried rat droppings is far higher and far more dangerous on average to health and well-being
 
Simple market economics will put a dirty burger joint or food outlet out of business far quicker than any inspector. Once word gets around people steer well clear of such places. That's why so many restaurant and takeaway outlets close so soon after they open.
 
T McGibney said:
Simple market economics will put a dirty burger joint or food outlet out of business far quicker than any inspector. Once word gets around people steer well clear of such places. That's why so many restaurant and takeaway outlets close so soon after they open.
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Amazing how market economics seems to be the answer to everything these days.

So you go rooting in the kitchen, cupboards, fridges etc of every eating establishment you visit to make sure they have the highest hygene standards?

I know eaten in restaurants and bars that have had beautiful clean dining rooms but have then read reports of what inspectors found behind the scenes. One particular well known Dublin restaurant comes to mind last year....
 
Its true though. If people start getting sick from eating food from a particular outlet, it normally spells doom for the outlet - even if the FSAI never hear about it.
 
T McGibney said:
Its true though. If people start getting sick from eating food from a particular outlet, it normally spells doom for the outlet - even if the FSAI never hear about it.
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More so in a small town or village than in a city centre place though
 
DB74 said:
More so in a small town or village than in a city centre place though
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There is still a huge failure rate in city centre food outlets and once a place gets a bad reputation, its usually only a matter of time before it folds.

Oddly enough though, most of the cases in the Indo article were in small towns.
 
T McGibney said:
Simple market economics will put a dirty burger joint or food outlet out of business far quicker than any inspector. Once word gets around people steer well clear of such places. That's why so many restaurant and takeaway outlets close so soon after they open.
Click to expand...

So we should wait till people get sick (possibly seriously so) to find out that a restaurant was contaminated?
 
Whereas the proposal to abolish the FSA is certainly a contrarian minority view I think Purple and TmcG make some very good valid points.

aj (mod)
moved from the depths to rock the boat.
 
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