HC Deb 17 January 2001 vol 361 cc254-5W
Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what total Government expenditure on the London Borough of Islington(a) was for each of the past five years and (b) is planned for 2001–02, broken down into (i) revenue support order Standard Spending Assessment (ii) education special projects, (iii) housing capital spending, (iv) single regeneration budget and (v) crime prevention. [143399]

Ms Beverley Hughes

[holding answer 20 December 2000]: The information requested is, as far as possible, given in the table:

The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE.) provides statutory advice to Government on applications for consent to release genetically modified organisms for research purposes or for placing on the market as products. The information in the applications has to be based on the results of research that must either be included with the application or available in the public domain. Specific information from the application is placed on the statutory public register held in my Department and the entire application, including research results, is available on request. ACRE's advice is also placed on the public register and their advice and minutes of their meetings are on the Department's website. The entire process is therefore open to scrutiny.

However, the European and domestic legislation make provision for the applicant to request that certain information to be deemed commercial in confidence and not disclosed. This cannot apply to information about environmental risks, which cannot be kept confidential. In this country we endeavour to ensure that commercial in confidence information submitted in applications is kept to a minimum and only permit specific information to be withheld while it is the subject of an application for intellectual property rights. Thereafter that information is also made public.

Where another member state is the lead competent authority dealing with an application to place a GMO product on the market, the status of the information submitted is a matter for that lead member state to decide. In the past this has resulted in some documents submitted to support applications being withheld.