The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a bill creating an agency to handle safety issues related to food, drugs and cosmetics.
With the approval of the Organic Act of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) under the Department of Health (DOH) of the Executive Yuan (行政院衛生署食品藥物管理局組織法), it is hoped the government’s management of the safety of food, drugs and cosmetics can be better integrated.
The TFDA will take charge of projects previously handled by the DOH’s Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs, Bureau of Food Safety, Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis and Bureau of Controlled Drugs.
The bill says the TFDA should establish a committee to review new food, drug and cosmetic products.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) lauded the legislature for completing its review of the bill “within five months.”
Yang said the bill, proposed by lawmakers across party lines, would better integrate the health branches to prevent the disorder that occurred during last year’s milk powder scandal.
“The establishment of the TFDA is a major reform of the nation’s medication and food management system,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said on the legislative floor. “However, the DOH failed to hold any public hearings to gauge public opinion regarding the organization of the TFDA and so it remains controversial.”
Meanwhile, legislators also approved a bill that would allow councilors to hire more aides, but still maintains the cap on public funds that councilors can spend on hiring staff.
Under the bill, councilors of special municipalities would be allowed to hire six to eight aides with a total fund of NT$240,000 (US$7,300) per month, while city and county councilors would be able to hire two to four aides using a maximum NT$80,000 a month.
The bill would also entitle the aides of city and county councilors to labor and health insurance. Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) said during review of the bill that local governments would have to spend NT$220 million to cover the benefits.
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