To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list, by year, the number of applications for consent to release organisms genetically modified for ampicillin resistance that have been (a) granted and (b) rejected for the purposes of (i) field testing and (ii) marketing. [10975]

[holding answer 28 July 1997]: Since the coming into force of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992, (i) seven applications to field test genetically modified organisms with the ampicillin-resistance gene, whether the gene be functional or not, have been granted a consent and, (ii) no applications for consent to market GMOs with ampicillin-resistance gene have been received in Great Britain. The numbers by year for the field testing are as follows: