HC Deb 31 March 1993 vol 222 c241W
Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current membership and outline the constitution of the veterinary medicines directorate.

Mr. Soames

Membership of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, together with its aims and objectives, is set out in the VMD annual report and accounts for 1991–92, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the current level of costs associated with submitting an application by a manufacturer for a licence from the veterinary medicines directorate for a product licence.

Mr. Soames

The level of costs associated with submitting an application for a veterinary medicine product licence will vary considerably, dependent on the target species, active ingredient, indications for use, and type of application. In some cases, the simplified licensing procedure introduced in 1990 may be appropriate. As a consequence, no information is held centrally on such costs. Ultimately, it is for the individual pharmaceutical company to decide what investment may be needed to meet the licensing requirements of safety, quality and efficacy, and whether that can be justified bearing in mind the likely return from the market.

Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information he has concerning the number of applications for a veterinary medicine product licence which have been considered in total by the veterinary medicines directorate in connection with the implementation of the European directive on these matters; how many of those applications were accepted; how many were withdrawn; and how many were declined;

(2) what information he has concerning the number of veterinary medicinal products which were formerly available in the United Kingdom but for which