§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to exercise his power under section 16(2)(j) of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (as amended by the Pesticides Act 1998) to make regulations for the provision of information relating to pesticides to be made available to the public. [57711]
§ Mr. RookerI am anxious to ensure that the public gains the greatest possible access to information on pesticides, taking advantage of the broader powers provided by the Pesticides Act 1998. My officials have just completed a public consultation exercise to explore how this objective might best be pursued. Full details of the consultation are available in the Library of the House. Following consideration of the responses received, Regulations will be drafted and further public consultation will take place. The draft Regulations will also be notified to the EC under the Technical Standards Directive. Subject to the outcome of these consultations, the Regulations will be put in place as rapidly as possible but at this stage it is not possible to give a precise date.