COT

COT Secretariat

• Committee on Toxicity
• About the COT
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COT Secretariat
Food Standards Agency
Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6NH

Tel: 020 7276 8522
Fax: 020 7276 8513

cot@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

• Sponsoring departments
• Food Standards Agency
• Department of Health
• Sister committees
• Committee on Carcinogenicity
• Committee on Mutagenicity
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COT membership

List of COT members and information on membership.

Appointment of members

A number of important changes have been made in recent years in the way in which Government Departments are expected to deal with appointments to the advisory committees for which they have responsibility. These principles were set out in the Nolan Committee's Report on Standards in Public Life.

Nolan's principle conclusions in relation to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), which included advisory committees were that:

• Appointments should be made on the basis of merit, to form committees with a balance of relevant skills and backgrounds.
• Responsibility for appointments should remain with Ministers advised by committees including independent members.
• The appointment process should be open and departments should have to justify any departures from best practice.
• Job specifications should be published and a wide range of candidates sought.
• It should be mandatory for each NDPB to have a code of conduct for members, and a similar code for staff.
• A commissioner for public appointments should be appointed to regulate, monitor and report on the public appointment process.

Arising from these principles, all appointments to the COT follow the best practice set in Guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

COT Chair
Professor David Coggon OBE MA PhD DM FRCP FFOM FFPH FMedSci Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton.

Members of COT
More information on COT members including declaration of interests.

Secretariat
COT secretariat

COT recruitment of a specialist members
The COT is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body providing independent expert advice on toxicological risk to humans. The Committee's advice has consistently provided the sound scientific basis for the development of policy on issues that have major implications for public health, the economy and consumer confidence in food safety.

Code of Conduct for members
COT Members follow a Code of Conduct.

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