§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the United Kingdom Government's policy is on the export of(a) bacillus anthracis, (b) clostridium botulinum, (c) histoplasma capsulatum, (d) brucella, (e) melitensis and (f) clostridium perfringens by other countries. [146722]
§ Mr. MacShaneI have been asked to reply.
The export of these biological materials is controlled by States' obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). They are, however, all materials that have a legitimate use in laboratories and facilities for the production of vaccines to protect against the diseases that may be caused by exposure to them. Their export, in small quantities consistent with legitimate medical and scientific research to established scientific institutions in states that are Party to the BTWC, is not banned under the Convention.
The Government would expect all other countries to scrutinise any applications for such exports with the same rigour as we would for exports from the United Kingdom.