To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of whether qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers will apply to UK policy on regulating growth of genetically modified crops in the UK. (187925)

[holding answer 21 February 2008]: Decisions on proposals for the commercial cultivation of GM crops are taken at European Union level. Consistent with the EU legislation, the UK voting position is based on what the scientific evidence indicates about the safety of each crop in question for human health and the environment. DEFRA consults the relevant authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before the UK position is finalised. There are no plans for the UK position to be determined on the basis of qualified majority voting.