Flowers: Imports Chris Huhne To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls are placed on the import of flowers into the UK in relation to the use of (a) pesticides and (b) environmentally unsustainable practices; and if he will make a statement. Ian Pearson We do not monitor imported flowers for pesticide residues nor do we have any power to insist that the material is produced in an environmentally sustainable way. However, EU common quality standards require that marketed cut flowers must be free of pesticide residues that affect the visual quality of the product and the Plant Health Order requires that they must also be free from certain plant pests, which do not normally occur in the UK. The Pesticides Safety Directorate has provided technical assistance to Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Uganda as part of the EC-funded Pesticides Initiative Programme, which covers the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific group of states. Activities include visits to assist the regulatory authorities with capacity building of their structures and processes, and delivering training programmes covering the technical, policy and procedural requirements of pesticides regulation. Chris Huhne To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had on the involvement of UK companies in the import or production of flowers produced overseas using chemicals banned in the EU; and if he will make a statement. Ian Pearson There have been no discussions on this issue with my Department.