§ Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domerasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the outcome of the GM public debate will be evaluated; and whether the methods suggested will be an accurate measure of public opinion. [HL2130]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)The independent Public Debate Steering Board, set up to manage the GM public debate, has announced its own indicators against which it will assess the success of the debate. These include the extent to which people felt they were able to participate, their awareness of the debate, whether it was credible and innovative, and whether it improved the present understanding of public views. The methods by which the public's responses during the debate will be evaluated have yet to be developed by the steering board but every effort will be made to ensure that the reported outcome of the public debate accurately reflects public opinion.