§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will set out the evidence which led the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board to arrive at the conclusion that no other EU country considers animal testing should be part of ecolabelling; and if he will list all those EU members who have taken a public position on this issue;
(2) what factors led the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board to conclude that there is no basis for agreement in the United Kingdom about including animal testing in ecolabelling; what percentage of the organisations consulted by the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board on this issue were not environmental or animal welfare groups; and what percentage of the organisations consulted were opposed to inclusion of animal welfare in ecolabelling.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board was established under the European Communities Act 1972 to administer and promote the EC ecolabelling scheme in the United Kingdom. These questions are132W matters for the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board and I have, therefore, asked the board to reply to the hon. Member direct.