HL Deb 25 March 2002 vol 633 cc23-5WA
Lord Beaumont of Whitley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of the total agricultural research budget for 2000–01 was spent on investigating methods of pest and disease control which do not involve the use of chemical pesticides. [HL3382]

Lord Whitty

In 2000–01, Defra spent £8.4 million on research into methods of pest and disease control which do not involve the use of chemical pesticides.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) spent approximately £3.9 million on research directly into alternatives to chemical pesticides. Together this represents nearly 7 per cent of the agricultural research budget.

Lord Beaumont of Whitley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many research projects over the last five years which were in receipt of public funds involved research into alternatives to the use of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides; and whether they will give the names of the research institutions involved and the value of each contract. [HL3383]

Lord Whitty

During the last five years, Defra has funded 113 projects which have involved research into alternatives to the use of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides and BBSRC has funded 14. Many of these projects, including LINK projects funded jointly with industry, have been developing methods of integrated pest management to reduce dependence on pesticides.

The main research institutions involved were Horticulture Research International (total value of contracts £21 million); Institute of Arable Crops Research (£17 million); Central Science Laboratory (£13 million) and ADAS (£2 million). The total value of all 127 contracts was £57 million, giving an average contract value of about £0.45 million.

Lord Beaumont of Whitley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What procedure is followed when they receive a request to extend the approval for use of a pesticide beyond its intended revocation date; and what are the criteria by which the Government decide whether or not to grant such an extension of approval. [HL3384]

Lord Whitty

Pesticide approvals may be revoked for a variety of different reasons. The most important would be the identification of safety concerns but often include an approval holder's failure to meet data submission deadlines or the withdrawal of the product by the company for commercial reasons. Provided the approval is extant at the time the request is made, an extension can be considered. There are no set procedures when considering an extension beyond the intended revocation date. Each request is considered on its merits, taking into consideration the reason for the original revocation decison and, where applicable, whether any data requirements should be met before granting any extension.