SAC and ACRE (Triennial Reviews)

Tuesday 25th March 2014 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson)]

Today I am announcing triennial reviews of:

the Science Advisory Council (SAC); and

the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE).

Triennial reviews of non-departmental public bodies are part of the Government’s commitment to ensuring accountability in public life.

The SAC provides expert independent advice on science policy and strategy to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The ACRE advises the UK Government and the devolved Administrations on the risks to human health and the environment from the release and marketing of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The reviews will be conducted in accordance with Government guidance for reviewing non-departmental public bodies. The reviews will be carried out in an open and transparent way and interested stakeholders will be given the opportunity to feed in their views.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord de Mauley, will announce the findings of both reviews later in the year.

Further information, including the terms of references for the reviews, is available on the Government website.