S.L. 549.60 Art. 9Consultation and informing the public.

(1) The competent authority shall, without prejudice to the provisions of regulations 7 and 20, consult the public and, where appropriate, groups on the proposed deliberate release.

(2) Subject to sub-regulation (3), the notifier of a proposed deliberate release for the purposes other than placing on the market shall, not more than fourteen days after the date of receipt by the competent authority of the notification, cause to be published in a prominent local newspaper a notice with heading "PROPOSED DELIBERATE RELEASE OF A GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM" and containing the following information -

(a) the name and address of the notifier,

(b) the description of the genetically modified organism proposed to be released,

(c) the fact that a notification has been submitted to the competent authority, and the location and purpose of the proposed deliberate release,

(d) the period of time in which the proposed deliberate release is to be carried out,

(e) the fact that further information on the proposed deliberate release may be obtained from the competent authority,

(f) the full title of the competent authority and the full postal address of its headquarters,

(g) the fact that, in accordance with sub-regulation (5), any person or body may, within the period of twenty-eight days beginning on the day of publication of the notice, make representations in writing to the competent authority regarding the notification, and shall send a copy of the notice to the competent authority within the said fourteen days.

(3) The information on the location of the proposed deliberate release published pursuant to sub-regulation (2) shall be the same as the information on its location which is placed on the register maintained by the competent authority in accordance with regulation 22, and, for that purpose, the notifier shall ascertain from the competent authority the information on the location which is to be or has been placed on the said register.

(4) The notifier shall, not more than fourteen days after the date of receipt by the competent authority of the notification, send a copy of the notice published pursuant to sub-regulation (2) to -

(a) the owner of the site of the proposed deliberate release, if the said owner is a person other than the notifier, and

(b) the competent authority.

(5) Any person or body may, within the period of twenty-eight days beginning on the day of publication of a notice pursuant to sub-regulation (2), make representations to the competent authority in relation to the notification. The representations shall be -

(a) made in writing,

(b) addressed to the competent authority at its headquarters,

(c) forwarded so as to reach the competent authority within the period of twenty-eight days beginning on the day of publication of the notice pursuant to sub-regulation (2).

(6) Representations which do not comply with sub-regulation

(5) shall be invalid. Where the competent authority receives representations in accordance with sub-regulation (5), it shall -

(a) acknowledge receipt of the representations, and

(b) consider the representations in determining the notification.