To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the requests made to the Government for funding to maintain, upgrade or replace facilities at government-run laboratories for which his Department is responsible in each year since 2001, broken down by laboratory. (155575)

[holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Government-run laboratories for which DEFRA is responsible are the Centre for Environment Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, the Central Science Laboratory and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. DEFRA agrees annual business plans and budgets with these agencies. It is then for the respective laboratory management teams to decide how to maintain, upgrade or replace facilities within that funding structure. Major capital investment projects (for example, laboratory replacement) are agreed with and funded by DEFRA.