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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 26 Oct 2017
Air and Water Pollution: Impact

"My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Miller for giving us the opportunity to debate these important matters. I am going to focus on air pollution, and specifically on nitrogen dioxide’s important role in the great harm being caused to our citizens by polluted air. I also have an …..."
Lord Strasburger - View Speech

View all Lord Strasburger (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Air and Water Pollution: Impact
Written Question
Expert Committee on Pesticides
Thursday 17th September 2015

Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Expert Committee on Pesticides has not published the agenda for its meeting on 7 July and the minutes of its meeting on 20 May; and what involvement they had, if any, in the decision not to publish those documents.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Expert Committee on Pesticides published the agenda for the 7 July meeting and the minutes of its meeting of 20 May on 23 July 2015.

Written Question
Scientific Advisers
Wednesday 16th September 2015

Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what grounds scientific advisory committees may choose not to publish their agendas and minutes; and what assessment they have made of whether such grounds comply with the need for transparency set out in the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government is committed to openness and transparency, in particular in relation to scientific advice. The Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees sets out principles upon which departments and SACs set their own publication policy.

Defra’s Scientific Advisory Council, and Scientific Advisory Committees, may choose not to publish their agendas or minutes when they relate to:

· confidential information;

· there is non-disclosure associated with the meeting subject material;

· Government Security Classified documents; or

· commercially sensitive information.

This decision to do so is assessed against the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees. A publicly available explanation is provided when Committees decide not to publish minutes.

In assessing whether grounds for not publishing comply with the Code of Practice’s need for transparency, the committee considers:

· public interest in the subject material;

· the commercial impact should the material be published;

· the timing of the material be published; and

· the policy impact, for example, in relation to UK negotiations with another country.