Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2004
91 Mr. Timmins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position in relation to a group (details supplied); the identity of the members; and their employment at the time the group sat. [8410/04]
View answerIn March 1999, the Government noted the range of concerns raised by genetic modification and approved the establishment of an interdepartmental group on modern biotechnology to report with a co-ordinated overall position as soon as possible. The membership of the group at that time was as follows: Ronald Long, Assistant Secretary, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment — Chairman; Tom Mooney, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Children; Jim Beecher, Assistant Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Dr. Jim Flanagan, chief inspector, Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; Geraldine Tallon, Assistant Secretary, Department of the Environment and Local Government; Owen Ryan, Assistant Principal, Department of the Environment and Local Government; Alan Reilly, director operations division, Food Safety Authority of Ireland; Dr. Jim Ryan, director, BioResearch Ireland, Enterprise Ireland; Dr. Noel Gillatt, Forfás; Padraic de Bhaldraithe, inspector, Department of Education and Science; and Peter Buckley, Assistant Principal, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment — secretary.
In December 2000, the Government, in considering the report of the group, approved the continuation of the group on a permanent basis and the extension of its membership to include representatives of Teagasc, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food Safety Promotion Board, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Enterprise Ireland and Forfás. The group is currently chaired by Mr. Brian Whitney, Assistant Secretary, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The future work programme of the group is currently under consideration.
