asked the Minister for Health if he will give the latest statistics available to his Department in relation to the level of contamination in milk, meat and in foodstuffs generally.

Figures in respect of 1982 in relation to samples of food, including milk and meat products, monitored for compliance with legislation on foodstuffs show that of a total of 8,697 samples, 5 per cent were found to be unsatisfactory. The results of analyses ranged from deficiencies in samples relevant to the compositional and additives standards to problems of contamination in individual foodstuffs.

Specific details of the unsatisfactory samples are available in the official reports of the three regional public analysts for 1982.

Would the Minister accept that there is a seasonal variation in this area and that the 5 per cent he has given us could be at a higher level at another time of the year?

That may well be. I do not have any information on that but it is important to note that 95 per cent of food samples taken by the health inspectors and analysed by the public analysts were found to be satisfactory.