Genetically Modified Organisms (Hansard, 18 January 2002)

§ Dr. Whitehead

The public register holding information on the contained use of genetically modified organisms will be reopened on or around 11 February and will contain all information except for that excluded in the interests of national security.

Under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000 the Competent Authority—the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in England, the Scottish Ministers and HSE in Scotland—is required to maintain a public register, and is firmly committed to a policy of openness and transparency. The register contains information on all notified premises and activities.

Following the activities of 11 September, HSE, on behalf of the Competent Authority, took the decision to temporarily withhold public access to the register because of the security risk.

Yesterday I signed the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 which will allow the Secretary of State to exclude information from the register in the interests of national security.

A meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee of the Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification and invited experts will consider the list of pathogens already compiled for schedule 5 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and whether any additional genetically modified pathogens should be excluded from the register.

HSE acting on behalf of, and with the agreement of, the other members of the Competent Authority, will then review and sift the entries on the register and will reopen the register on or around 11 February. In the meantime HSE has arranged to make the information available to enquirers on a case-by-case basis.

Following the reopening of the register a system of regular review will be put in place to consider those items excluded from the register, with the aim of keeping to a minimum information which has to be excluded in the interests of national security.