§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each(a) biotechnology and (b) other company which has asked the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment to keep confidential papers or information which it has provided to the committee on genetically modified engineering. [77942]
§ Mr. MeacherThe legislation requires the Secretary of State to keep certain information confidential if requested to do so by the company concerned. Such information is limited to the protection of intellectual property rights for which a patent application is being made. The information is placed on the public register once the patent has been granted. Otherwise all the information in the application for consent to release or market a GMO is available on request. All the information submitted with an application is available to the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment.
The following companies have asked the Secretary of State to treat elements of their applications as commercially confidential under the terms outlined above:
- Zeneca Plant Science Limited
- Plant Breeding International
- Advanced Technologies (Cambridge) Limited
- Nickerson BIOCEM Limited
- Shell Research Limited
- Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture Limited
- Maribo UK Limited
- Ciba-Geigy Limited
- Sharpes International Seeds Limited
- The Scottish Agricultural College
- Plant Genetic Systems NV
- Axis Genetics Limited
- Agrevo UK Limited
- Novartis Seeds Limited
- Monsanto Plc
- Scottish Crop Research Institute
- Pioneer Genetique SARL
- John K. King and Sons Limited
- CPB Twyford Limited
- The University of Leeds.