HL Deb 08 March 2004 vol 658 cc148-50WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Under which legislation manufacturers of pesticides are statutorily required to distribute copies of material safety data sheets to the National Poisons Information Service centres. [HL1576]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham

There is no such legislation. However, the person responsible for first placing a biocidal product on the market in Great Britain has a duty under Regulation 29 of the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 (BPR—Statutory Instrument No 2001/422) to inform the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) centre in Birmingham. The information required is listed in Schedule 8 to the BPR. NPIS will accept a copy of the product's safety data sheet plus any additionally required information. Similar arrangements apply in Northern Ireland under the Biocidal Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland 2001/422), where the information must be supplied to the Poison Information Service.

The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What notices of changes to members' personal interests have been received by the secretariat of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides since January 2002; from which members such notices have been received; and what were the changes registered. [HL1520]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)

Changes to member's declared interests since January 2002 were:

Emeritus Professor G Matthews. His previously declared consultancy on cold fogging techniques for Aventis ceased when the company became a part of Bayer CropScience.

Mr J Orson. Additional interests declared: chairman of WRAG (Weed Resistance Action Group) and a member of the scientific steering committee of the field-scale evaluations of GM crops. A personal specific interest in Mesosulfuron-methyl.

Mr C Slopes. Declared a personal specific interest in ECOguard Granules. Declared a lapsed personal non-specific interest in Breck-a-Sol.

Professor G Edwards-Jones. Declared a non-personal specific interest in ECOguard Granules.

Dr D N Bateman. Declared an interest in an item on human health monitoring, as he works for National Poisons Information Service.