Government Ministers give evidence on GM insects to Committee

2 November 2015

Two Government Ministers give evidence to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry into GM insect technologies on Tuesday 3 November. The session also explores the public health benefits and international development context of GM insects technology.

The session starts by looking at the state of insect-borne diseases, and current strategies to combat them, and then moves on to the field of GM insect technologies, in particular areas such as Government policy, public awareness, and regulation.

Witnesses

The sessions take place on Tuesday 3 November in Committee Room 4A, Palace of Westminster.

At 10.40am:

Professor Chris Whitty, Professor of Public and International Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

At 11.40am:

George Eustice MP, Minister of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Department of Health (DH)

Possible questions

Questions Professor Whitty may be asked include:

What is the current impact of insect-vectored diseases internationally?
What strategies are in place to tackle diseases such as malaria and dengue fever?
How well could GM insect technologies be used to combat these diseases?

Questions the Committee may put to the Ministers include:

What is the Governments position on the development of GM insect technologies?
How can funding and support be improved?
How well the technologies are regulated, both here in the UK and in the EU?
Should there be more public debate on and engagement with the science and wider issues?

Further information

Image: iStockphoto