§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates, venues and methods of disposal for stocks of genetically modified organisms which have been held by his Department in each year when such disposals have occurred.
§ Mr. Archie Hamilton[holding answer 17 May 1993]This is a matter for the chief executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE) and I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Mr. G. Pearson to Mrs. Ann Winterton, dated 20 May 1993:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him if he will list the dates, venues and methods of disposal for stocks of genetically modified organisms which have been held by his Department in each year when such disposals have occurred (Question 9, Order Paper 12 May 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures 267W against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. The research includes assessing the threat to the UK Armed Forces from genetically modified organisms.
3. The reasons for producing, storing and disposing of genetically modified organisms were stated in my letter to you of 17 May 1993 in reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether any stocks of genetically modified organisms are currently held by the Ministry of Defence. As I indicated in that letter genetically modified organisms that do not exhibit properties of value to the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment research programme are destroyed. 268W As such, genetically modified organisms are disposed of at CBDE as they are evaluated and this can be as frequent as daily. Before disposal they are inactivated by high temperature steam in an autoclave in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Health and Safety Executive Advisory Committee on Genetic Manipulation. The inactivated organisms are then disposed of using normal cleansing procedures. The work at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment on genetically modified organisms has been in progress for the past 9 years and disposals have been made as described above since the start of the work.