Conservative Central Office
32 Smith Square
London SW1P 3HH
Tel: 020 7984 8238 Fax: 020 7984 8207
E-mail: office@hannan.co.uk Website: www.hannan.co.uk

12 August 2002

Mr John Ireland

Dear Mr Ireland

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to write to me on this very important issue of the food supplements, herbal remedies and medicines review. As I see it, this is an area in which people should be allowed to decide for themselves on the efficacy of a given treatment. Only in cases where there is a demonstrable risk should legislators be allowed to intervene. It may surprise you to learn that, as with so much of the legislation which comes from the EU, this legislation arose as the result of heavy lobbying by pharmaceutical companies, in whose interest it clearly is to restrict the trade of their competitors. I was not a little surprised to discover that one of the European Commissioners sits on the board of a company which has engaged in such lobbying.

In spite of the opposition of the Conservative Party, the European Parliament voted for a second reading of the Food Supplements Directive. As a result you will now need to influence the British Government's policy which means writing to your Westminster MP.

The Pharmaceutical Review is now under consideration in Committee and is expected to go to the vote in Parliament in October, and the report on Herbal Medicines has not yet appeared. However, you may expect me to press for the maximum in consumer choice in both cases when the time comes.

The EU sees itself more and more as the guardian of our physical and moral health and enacts laws which no popularly-elected parliament or government would get away with. This is in inverse proportion to turnout at European elections which has been successively smaller at each election.

I have taken the liberty of enclosing an article 1 wrote on food supplements some months ago.

Yours sincerely
DANIEL HANNAN MEP
Enc.
* * * * *

Hugh Robertson Esq. M.P.
House of Commons
Westminster
London

19th August 2002

Dear Mr Robertson

I enclose a very disturbing letter I have received today concerning the EU Food Supplements Directive, from Daniel Hannan M. E. P.

Is it possible to register a very strong protest in Parliament against this legislation, as it is a gross infringement of human rights?

Are you able to ascertain the names of the pharmaceutical companies that have been involved in the heavy lobbying mentioned by Mr Hannan?

Is there a register of EU Commissioners interests which will indicate which Commissioner sits on the board of the lobbying pharmaceutical company concerned?

I hope you may be able to help me with these questions, as I would like to make my views known to these people.

I look forward to your view on this issue.

Yours sincerely

John Ireland