To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many submissions to the voluntary reporting scheme for engineered nanoscale materials his Department received from (a) industry and (b) universities. (235128)

[holding answer 17 November 2008]: DEFRA received 12 submissions to the UK voluntary reporting scheme for engineered nanomaterials; 10 from industry and two from universities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department’s review of the voluntary reporting scheme for engineered nanoscale materials will conclude; and when he expects to report its findings. (235129)

[holding answer 17 November 2008]: DEFRA, in partnership with the UK Technology Strategy Board, funded a survey of industry and researcher views of the scheme by the Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network. This concluded in October and will be published on the DEFRA website in due course. The ministerial group on nanotechnologies will next meet in December and will consider future options for the scheme, reflecting upon the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s report and taking into account the European Commission’s review of existing regulations.