My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, made a powerful speech far more eloquently than I could emulate. Unlike other contributors to the debate, I have inadequate experience in this field.
The public register is an important element of moving forward on genetic technology. Last time this was debated, there was wholesale opposition from the public and some local authorities. I remember the demonstrations in Somerset against GMO crops being grown in undisclosed locations and the fear that organic crops would be contaminated. Having a readily available public register of what licences have been granted and where they are is key to keeping the public on board.
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The three amendments that the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, has spoken to would remove the following from the Bill: first, the provision on the form and content of the release notice on the prescribed information being set by the Secretary of State alone, an issue that has been raised by the DPRRC; secondly, objections to the regulations for a precision-bred confirmation being set entirely by the Secretary of State; and, lastly, in Clause 18, under the precision-breeding register, the noble Lord, speaking on behalf of the DPRCC, wants to delete subsection 1. The noble Lord believes, and I fully support him, that the Secretary of State alone
should not have the power to make these decisions. They are key to the implementation of the Bill and are likely to have long-lasting effects into the future. The decisions should therefore be made under the affirmative procedure, so that Parliament may have an input and fulfil its scrutiny role. The register of licences should be public and easily accessible for everyone who wishes to see it. If the science is as advanced and safe as the Government and some NGOs claim, why are the Government reluctant to allow the decisions to be made more openly, instead of keeping it entirely to the Secretary of State?