From: Marcus Williamson, gmfoodnews.com
Date: 6 September 2001
Subject: Open letter to members of ACRE regarding GM release application 01/R34/02


Dear members of ACRE

A reminder of your obligations. In particular :

"* highlight and encourage public debate about, ‘first of a kind’
cases which raise issues that have not been aired before."

When have you encouraged debate about the development of
chemical-dependent plants?

Please examine the following and consider whether you, as ACRE, are
complying with these obligations, especially with regard to "openness
and transparency".

Look forward to hearing from you with your comments.

Thanks & regards
Marcus Williamson
http://www.gmfoodnews.com/


From :

"The Government’s Response to the
Fifth Report of the Select Committee
on Environmental Audit

Genetically Modified Organisms
and the Environment: Co-ordination of Government Policy" 
(November 1999)


26. The Government fully supports openness and transparency in the
workings of all advisory bodies. The Chief Scientific Adviser’s
guidelines on the use of scientific advice in policy-making supports
this stance and advises that, "there should be a presumption towards
openness in explaining the interpretation of scientific advice." The
Government has therefore decided that all committees involved in
biotechnology should adopt the following principles on transparency,
timeliness and exchange of information:

* publish details of their terms of reference, membership (including
declarations of commercial and other interests) and work programmes
(other than routine processing);

* subject to confidentiality or commercial sensitivity, publish
agendas in advance of meetings and minutes thereafter together with
such explanations as will enable the reader to understand the issues,
arguments and basis of decisions taken;

* aim to publish the minutes of the meeting within three weeks;

* where information is confidential or commercially sensitive, write
it in such a way as to make as much information public as possible
without infringing legitimate concerns;

* ensure that the work of the committee is described in a published
annual report;

* develop a strategy for explaining activities and work developments
to the general public, employing newsletters, consultation papers,
fact sheets/position papers or holding regular press conferences;

* ensure as much openness as possible in consent procedures, eg
clarifying the periods within which the committees will aim to process
applications and providing opportunities for preliminary discussion
with those who will be advising on applications;

* deal with conflicts of interest swiftly and openly;

* routinely exchange information with other committees, also
considering periodic joint meetings, or meetings of Chairs.

27. In addition the new commissions should:

* undertake consultations/issue consultation documents about specific
issues and publish details, ensuring that respondents know that their
views have been listened to and acted upon if appropriate, or if not
why not;

where it would help public understanding, hold open meetings, public
consensus conferences, open workshops or meetings on the Internet
either on general topics or with a particular theme, as part of a
consultation process;

* highlight and encourage public debate about, ‘first of a kind’ cases
which raise issues that have not been aired before.

The regulatory committees ACRE and ACNFP have already adopted these
practices.