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Mr. Gerald Howarth (Aldershot): On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I apologise to the hon. Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson) for interrupting his Adjournment debate. I understand that he is in a great hurry. However, something has just occurred that I want to raise.
On Monday, the Government will hold a summit on smoking, and not one representative of the tobacco industry has been asked to attend that most important debate. There are 15 million people who smoke in the United Kingdom. Although I am only a very occasional cigar smoker, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I wonder whether you have heard from Ministers whether they will invite representatives from an industry that may be very seriously affected by Monday's summit, but from which, to date, it seems to have been totally excluded?
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Alan Haselhurst):
The hon. Gentleman has sufficient experience of the House to know that that is not a matter for the Chair. No representations have been made to the Chair; nor should they have been. I call Dr. Gibson.
Dr. Gibson:
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Collaboration between universities and industries will ensure progress in products and processes and foster a partnership of equals, in which both sides have something to offer and to gain from collaboration. Universities must continue to do high-quality basic research with equipment funds that enable them to use state of the art facilities.
There is an old myth that countries and companies that have the odd scientist on their boards or organising bodies seem to do rather well. I should like to think that that has something to do with the ability of scientists to analyse and to think critically. Successful biotechnology companies also seem to draw on the support of scientists, physicians, information scientists, lawyers and accountants from a
network that extends across the United Kingdom and across Europe. British introspection will not be the order of the day in that exciting new world.
Successful companies also look ahead to new techniques that will open a second wave in biotechnology development. Two such techniques are combinatorial chemistry and genomics. The former highlights the joint activity of chemicals to improve treatments, and the latter takes us into the world of risk analysis, in which we can identify individuals who are genetically predisposed to certain diseases. A possible consequence is that, based on that knowledge, those individuals will receive different medical advice and treatment. Hon. Members will realise how, in the long term, that could alter the role of GPs and the economics of health care.
In food biotechnology, new techniques will undoubtedly make it easier to detect biological contamination of meat and of other foods. As time passes, other industries--water, paper, fishing and forensic science--will undoubtedly benefit from that technology.
In environmental biology, with its potential for creating clean production processes, and in the less satisfactory so-called end-pipe cleaning process that occurs after the production of toxic waste, biotechnology provides vast potential for our efforts to green industry and to eliminate hazards. I think of our efforts in Norwich to rebuild a city which has suffered many job losses. We shall clean up an area where factories once stood by adding bacteria to the soil to remove hydrocarbons. It is estimated that that procedure will save approximately 10,000 lorry journeys, and their associated pollution and costs.
Despite that progress, there are the voices of those mentioned by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment--those who are perpetually against everything and always keen to undermine the enthusiasm of others. Some people, however, have offered proper criticisms, and they should be answered.
The United Nations, the Council of Europe and groups in the United States have been pushing through a code of ethics to tackle problems in genetic engineering in the light of knowledge and biotechnological advance. We shall have to answer questions on access to genetic information and the role of insurance companies and we shall have to deal with the reaction of people to their health prospects and of consumers to the safety of food products.
The spectre of eugenics is never far away in our society. The United States clearly does not endorse human breeding experiments or genetic manipulation that would have harmful effects on human health or the environment, and it also does not endorse military uses of biotechnology.
The public remain sceptical of companies, and they are suspicious of interference with nature and of misuse of technology. They are also still sceptical of our successes, such as a hepatitis vaccine and stay-fresh tomatoes. Science has yet to be drilled into the nation's consciousness.
The Minister for Science, Energy and Industry (Mr. John Battle):
I welcome this debate on the future of biotechnology, and congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson) on having chosen this subject at such an opportune moment. It is a key subject on which we should be directing public and political attention. I am only saddened that there are absolutely no Opposition Members present, not even the shadow science Minister. It is sad that one Conservative Member rushed in, made a plea on behalf of the tobacco industry, and then rushed out.
The subject of this debate should be taken seriously because there have recently been key developments. My hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North and I share the view that ethics are crucial to ensuring that biotechnological developments are life enhancing and liberating, not dehumanising. We ought to regard science in that light, and welcome it. I hope that my hon. Friend's distinguished academic record will be as warmly welcomed in the House as it is widely respected in the scientific and wider community.
Biotechnology itself is a relatively recent science, but some of its applications, such as the use of yeast and enzymes to make bread, wine and cheese, have been familiar for generations. They are now taken for granted. There are many applications of modern biotechnology--from steroids to treat asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, an improved form of insulin for diabetes, a vaccine for hepatitis B and monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer, through to biological washing powders, diagnostic test kits for use in blood and food hygiene testing, and DNA fingerprinting in police forensic work. In the chemical industry, enzymes are already being used to enhance process efficiency, reduce costs and improve the quality of the final product.
Moreover, as my hon. Friend spelt out, the potential is incalculable. In health care, biotechnology offers the promise of new methods of diagnosis and treatment for many conditions that we currently regard as incurable. In agriculture, biotechnology will impact on animal health, animal feed, seeds, plants and crops. For example, it will pave the way for crops to be grown in drought-hit parts of the world, and will reduce the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. It will also contribute to tackling the problems of world poverty and providing international food security.
One of the foresight panels within the Department of Trade and Industry cited biotechnology as a key technological driver for the future, along with health and life sciences. It is also an economic driver. It is linked to chemicals, food and drink and even, dare I say, to financial services where DNA is used in fraud detection. It now has a fundamental impact on a range of disciplines. Just as there is no such thing as pollution, only molecules in the wrong place, we must remember that they are practically everywhere around us.
I underline my hon. Friend's point that Britain takes the lead in industrial biotechnology. We have well over 200 specialist biotechnology companies, and more than 400 are involved in bioscience-related activities. More than a quarter of all Europe's small biotechnology enterprises are located in the United Kingdom. They employ some 10,000 people, a figure which is forecast to grow. In other words, biotechnology is a major industry of the future which is with us now. It is an economic driver.
The United States of America has more biotechnology companies than Europe, those companies are mature and have more products on the market, and they employ four times as many people, but if Britain and Europe want to get ahead, we have to work hard and take this aspect of technology seriously. We should not forget that Britain can lay claim to more than 20 Nobel prize winners in this area of science. They represent a history of achievement from the discovery of the structure of DNA, the construction of monoclonal antibodies and the invention of DNA fingerprinting through to recent advances in antibody engineering. In other words, we have a strong record of science innovation and world-class companies of great potential.
The Department of Trade and Industry's biotechnology means business initiative ought to increase awareness and encourage the take-up of biotechnology in other industrial sectors. We shall push such programmes forward. An initiative was announced today, stimulated by the fact that my hon. Friend decided to raise the issue in the House. I thank him for that. One of our challenges will offer support to stimulate the provision of specialist incubators and the development of business incubators to take ideas through to market.
My hon. Friend made helpful comments about the European Parliament's biotechnology patents directive. It is important for the future of the UK and European biotech industry and is critical for growth, competitiveness, investment and employment. Failure to agree an effective directive will mean a loss of benefits to this country in an area in which adequate protection is available in other countries, such as the United States.
It being half past Two o'clock, the motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.--[Mr. Dowd.]
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