§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many persons are employed in the GM Inspectorate in terms of(a) individuals and (b) whole-time equivalents; what the figures were in each of the last five years; what the total staff cost was in each of those years; what their functions were; and what assessment she has made of the achievements of the staff of the Inspectorate. [132456]
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§ Mr. MorleyThe Defra GM Inspectorate comprises inspectors based at the Central Science Laboratory and at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Prior to 2000 all the work was carried out by HSE inspectors. Details of staff numbers and costs for the last five years are in the table.
Staff HSE Whole-time equivalents (staff years) Costs (£) Staff CSL Whole-time equivalents (staff years) Costs (£) 1998–99 4 0.7 105,000 N/A N/A N/A 1999–00 4 1.1 76,434 N/A N/A N/A 2000–01 5 0.35 52,000 5 0.97 95,116 2001–02 5 0.2 21,600 5 3.10 222,490 2002–03 6 0.3 33,670 5 2.04 237,849 2003–04 5 0.76 — 4 3.71 — The functions of the GM Inspectorate at CSL are primarily to monitor compliance in England and Wales with consents issued under Directive 2001/18 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) both for placing on the market of GMOs as or in products (Part C) and for any other purpose (Part B) and to ensure that the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and related legislation are adhered to. The Inspectorate also conducts research to underpin its forensic work, and maintains links with inspectors elsewhere in the UK and throughout the EU.
The Inspectorate at HSE reports on the environmental aspects of contained uses of GMOs (other than GM micro-organisms) in England, Scotland and Wales, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and related legislation and monitors compliance with consents issued under Part B of Directive 2001/18 for clinical trials of GMOs.
The number of inspectors deployed reflects the numbers of consents and releases to be monitored, this varies from year to year. For example there are currently no GM crop trials taking place but there were over 120 crop trials in 2002.
The Inspectorates' performance is regularly monitored. A measure of their achievement is that there has been no evidence of harm to the environment from GM crop releases or from GMOs kept under contained use conditions. The Inspectorate at CSL publishes an annual report.