§ The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberryasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to send a commission of scientists to the United States to glean first hand information about the benefits and risks of genetically modified crops so as to save time and duplication of effort on tests in this country that have already been carried out in the United States. [HL3658]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)The Government have no such plans. Officials are studying practice and trials in a number of countries overseas, including the United States, through the OECD Expert Group on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology. All available research data are used in the regulatory process, including data from other countries. However, the UK ecosystem is unique and therefore information from other countries is not always relevant.