Written question asked by Joan Ruddock (Labour) on Thursday, 17 January 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 June 2002. It was answered by Michael Meacher (Labour) on Monday, 10 June 2002 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government has responded to the recommendation of the Conference of Parties (5) to the Convention on Biological Diversity to investigate the potential risks and impacts of genetic restriction use technologies.

Answer: Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government have responded to the recommendation of the Conference of Parties (5) to the convention on biological diversity to investigate the potential risks and impacts of genetic restriction use technologies. [29500] Mr. Meacher: The Department for International Development has also commissioned a study for the benefit of developing countries on "the costs and benefits to the livelihoods of the rural and urban poor arising from the application of so-called `terminator genes' and similar technologies in developing countries." The results of this study have been published in two books: Swanson, T(ed), 2002, "Biotechnology, Agriculture and the Developing World: The Distributional Implications of Technological Change", Edward Elgar, Cheltenham and Swanson, T(ed), 2002, "The Economics of Managing Biotechnologies", Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 29500; 386 c934W
Session: 2001-02
Subjects: Biodiversity Genetic engineering Genetics Genetically modified organisms Testing
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk