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Biotechnology
Mr. Hope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on biotechnology and genetic modification, following the establishment of the ministerial group. [64629]
Dr. Jack Cunningham: The Government are initiating a thorough review of the framework for overseeing developments in biotechnology, focusing particularly on the range of committees that have been established to provide the Government with expert advice and to regulate in this area. The Government are already engaged in a public consultation on developments in the biosciences which is due to report in Spring 1999. The review of the framework for overseeing developments in biotechnology, to be carried out by officials, will take place on the same timescale.
The Government believe that the protection of human health must be the first priority in regulating biotechnology. The impact on the environment and on biodiversity must also be thoroughly assessed, and the ethical issues raised by biotechnology fully taken into account. At the same time, the Government believe that this technology has the potential to offer enormous opportunities for improving the competitiveness of the economy and the quality of life in terms of health, agriculture, food and environmental protection, and that regulation should facilitate technological development by not imposing unjustified burdens on the biotechnology industry.
The Government seek to have in place a system that provides sound advice and proportionate regulation and is at the same time as simple and transparent as possible; that has the flexibility to respond to the fast moving developments in the technology and to public concerns; and that commands the respect of users and the public.
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The review will assess the current system in the light of these criteria. It will seek to address the following questions:
The Cabinet Office and the Office of Science and Technology will jointly co-ordinate the review. The Government will make an announcement on its outcome.
31. Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Attorney-General how often in each of the last five years the holder of his office gave his assent to prosecutions which needed it; and if he will list each of these occasions. [63017]
The Attorney-General:
The records in my Department are maintained for case-tracking rather than statistical purposes. The information sought by the hon. Member could be obtained only by a manual trawl of all relevant files. That would involve disproportionate cost.
36. Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Attorney-General what are the current case loads of the Serious Fraud Office and of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to serious or complex fraud. [63024]
The Attorney-General:
The Serious Fraud Office currently has a caseload of 68 serious or complex fraud cases. In the year 1997-98, of 39 defendants whose cases were brought to trial, 37 were convicted and 2 acquitted. In the current year so far, 22 defendants have been brought to trial with 18 convictions and 4 acquittals. The Crown Prosecution Service does not keep records which show serious and complex fraud cases as a separate category. It is therefore not possible to provide comparable figures.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Attorney-General what is the current strength of the Crown Prosecution Service in East Sussex. [63020]
17 Dec 1998 : Column: 646
The Attorney-General:
On 30 November 1998, the East Sussex branch of the Crown Prosecution Service had the full time equivalent of 23 Crown Prosecutors and 35.6 caseworkers and administrators engaged in its work.
Ann Keen:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will announce the composition of the United Kingdom delegation for the January 1999 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. [64792]
The Prime Minister:
The January 1999 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be opened in Strasbourg on 25 January. The delegation from the United Kingdom for the session will consist of 23 members of the Labour Party, nine from the Conservative Party and four members from the minority parties. The delegation will serve in place of the current delegation from the opening January 1999 ordinary session.
The appointments of representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nomination by the parties concerned.
The same delegation will be representing the United Kingdom Parliament at the Assembly of the Western European Union.
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Ann Keen:
To ask the Prime Minister what has been achieved by the G7/8 during the United Kingdom presidency this year. [64793]
The Prime Minister:
During the United Kingdom's Presidency of the G7/8 this year, we have made progress on international action in a wide range of areas.
The successful G8 Summit in Birmingham in May marked a departure from tradition. Leaders were able to have a more businesslike and focused discussion in an informal atmosphere, and agreed a shorter, more action-oriented communique. The new format worked well and will be followed next year under the German Presidency.
One of the most challenging responsibilities was the turbulent world economy and the need to modernise international financial architecture. The Birmingham Summit endorsed G7 Finance Ministers' proposals on strengthening the global financial system. This was followed up by wider-ranging recommendations in statements issued by G7 leaders and by G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on 30 October. This includes enhanced financing arrangements for dealing with financial market contagion: codes of good practice for greater transparency and openness in economic policy-making and in private sector financial institutions; better processes for monitoring and regulating global financial stability; and reforms to improve the effectiveness of the international financial institutions. We hope to see good progress in these areas by the IMF/World Bank meetings in April 1999.
The G8 has renewed, at Birmingham and since, its commitment to resisting protectionism and continuing trade liberalisation in the framework of the WTO.
At Birmingham, G8 leaders discussed national action plans which set out practical measures to promote employability. These were based on the seven principles agreed at the G8 conference on employability, growth and inclusion in February to generate new employment opportunities and tackle unemployment and exclusion.
Development was a key theme of our Presidency. At Birmingham, G8 members committed themselves to the internationally agreed targets for economic and social development. They recognised the importance of substantial levels of development assistance and undertook to work towards untying it wherever possible. They supported the WHO's roll-back malaria initiative, to which the UK has pledged £60 million, and which is now being actively implemented by Mrs. Brundtland, the new Director General.
The UK was keen to use our Presidency to press ahead with debt relief for the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. The Birmingham Summit agreed that all eligible countries should be in the debt relief process by the year 2000, and should receive interim relief where necessary. The IMF/World Bank annual meetings in October took this forward by agreeing to extend the HIPC initiative to the end of 2000; to allow IMF post-conflict assistance programmes to count towards a country's track record under the HIPC initiative; to carry out a comprehensive review of the initiative as early as 1999; and to undertake further work on what the international
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financial institutions can do to help post-conflict countries. Following UK proposals, the World Bank has set up a trust fund to help meet the multilateral debt service obligations of Nicaragua and Honduras, and the Paris Club of official bilateral creditors has agreed a three-year moratorium for these countries.
Leaders set in train further G8 action against trans-national organised crime. They endorsed a 10-point plan to combat high-tech crime and agreed the need for further action against money laundering and financial crime, official corruption, trafficking in human beings and the illegal firearms trade. Since Birmingham, officials have taken this work forward and G8 Interior Ministers reviewed progress in a video conference on 15 December.
With the end of the century fast approaching, leaders recognised the challenge posed by the millennium bug. G8 officials have, since the Summit, co-ordinated G8 preparations and contingency planning, worked actively to raise global awareness, and started to identify vulnerable areas in which international organisations have a key role to play. The United Kingdom is contributing £10 million to the World Bank trust fund to help developing countries.
After agreement at Birmingham for urgent work to take forward the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, G8 members all negotiated constructively at the conference of the parties in Buenos Aires in November and secured agreement on a workplan to bring into effect the international mechanisms such as emissions trading. G8 Foreign Ministers in May endorsed an action programme to protect the world's forests. In April, G8 Environment Ministers agreed a package of measures to fight against environmental crime.
In May, G8 Foreign Ministers agreed to focus G8 efforts against terrorism on terrorist financing, improving co-ordination on hostage-taking, and export controls on explosives and other terrorist-related items. A conference of senior officials on 7-8 December agreed shared principles and points for further action to tackle terrorist support mechanisms.
what gaps exist in coverage of biotechnology by the existing committees and how might these be remedied?
what overlaps exist and are they justified? If not, how might they be remedied?
could the current system be structured in a more simple way?
how could the system for providing advice to Government be made more transparent?
are ethical and other wider issues addressed fully and properly within the current system?
are stakeholders given the appropriate opportunities to make their views known? For example, would an environmental stakeholder forum be a valuable addition to the current framework?
is the framework flexible enough to cope with the rapid development of this technology which is likely in the future?
does the public have confidence in the system currently in place?
The views will be sought of the existing regulatory and advisory bodies themselves, and of outside bodies with an interest in this area. The Government would also welcome views from the public.
Representatives from the Government Benches will be:
The hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Davis), who will act as leader; the hon. Members for Tooting (Mr. Cox); for Leigh (Mr. Cunliffe); for Sunderland, North (Mr. Etherington); for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn); for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe); for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara); for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall); for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara); for Glasgow, Bailleston (Mr. Wray); Lord Kirkhill and Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede.
Representatives from the Conservative Party will be:
The hon. Members for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson); for Chipping Barnet (Sir S. Chapman); for East Yorkshire (Mr. Townend) and the right hon. Member for Eddisbury (Sir A. Goodlad).
Representatives from the minority parties will be:
The hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) and Lord Russell-Johnston.
The following substitutes have been appointed to act as necessary on behalf of the delegates.
From the Government Benches: the hon. Members for Keighley (Mrs. Cryer); for Wolverhampton, South-West (Ms Jones); for Bristol, North-West (Dr. Naysmith); for Dover (Mr. Prosser); for Stourbridge (Ms Shipley); for Calder Valley (Ms McCafferty); for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Miss Smith); for North-West Leicestershire (Mr. Taylor); for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis); Lord Grenfell and Lord Judd.
From the Conservative Party: the hon. Member for Romsey (Mr. Colvin); for Ludlow (Mr. Gill); for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire); Lord Lucas of Crudwell and Lord Northesk.l
From the minority parties: the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Dr. Brand) and the right hon. Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor).
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