§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals in the White2W Paper on Freedom of Information on the modus operandi of the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment. [22632]
§ Angela EagleNo formal assessment has yet been made on the impact of the proposals in the White Paper on Freedom of Information. However, under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992, the Secretary of State already has a statutory duty to place a summary of the details of applications for consent to release genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on a public register, which is kept by my Department and in the regional offices of the Environment Agency. Summaries are also placed on the Internet.
Further, the regulations require applicants to advertise their proposed releases in newspapers circulating in the area where the release is proposed. Concerned residents may contact either the companies or the Department for further information and have an opportunity to write to the Secretary of State commenting on the application. My Department will make the full application available on request, except any information which is agreed to be commercially confidential. The advice of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) is also placed on the public register after they have reviewed applications for consent. My Department publishes newsletters twice a year, an ACRE annual report, technical guidance notes and research reports.
My Department and ACRE are currently considering ways of increasing the transparency of how decisions on the granting of consents are made. We will take into account the White Paper on Freedom of Information and the conclusions of the National Biotechnology Conference held in March 1997.