§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 26 January 1998,Official Report, column 32, how many of the 30 project licence applications submitted by DERA in respect of Porton Down since March 1995 have been (a) rejected by his Department and (b) amended. [26282]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 29 January 1998]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
417WLetter from John Chisholm to Mr. Norman Baker, dated 30 January 1998:
Pursuant to my answer of 26 January 1998 (Column 32), I am now replying to your question concerning the number of project licence applications from DERA's Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) sector at Porton Down which have been either rejected or amended.After the internal (CBD) ethical review process, project licence applications from CBD sector are not submitted to the Ministry of Defence, but directly to the Home Office. Since March 1995, CBD sector has submitted 30 such applications to the Home Office, none of which have been rejected. However, virtually all project licence applications made since 1995 have required some form of amendment as a result of both the internal ethical review and review by the Home Office. The internal and external review process presents a mechanism to enhance and refine proposals, and gives confidence that all aspects have been considered.I hope this information is helpful.