§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the letter of 22 May, POH 3/2342/31, to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, what has been the response to the recommendation made by his Department's independent advisory committee on the carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment for long-term research into bracken; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has commissioned research to study the possible transmission of carcinogens from bracken into the human food chain. It is hoped that the results of the study will be available next year. The Department of the Environment is funding research into the distribution, growth and spread of bracken in the United Kingdom.