Plant Protection Products Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Confidentiality

17.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and (4), where an applicant for the inclusion of an active substance in Annex I or an applicant for approval of a plant protection product so requests, the Department shall treat any information submitted by that applicant as confidential to the extent that in the opinion of the Department that information contains industrial or commercial secrets.

(2) The Department shall not treat as confidential the information submitted by an applicant specified in Schedule 2 and, once his application has been granted, the Department may make that information available to any person for inspection.

(3) If subsequent to the request mentioned in paragraph (1) the applicant discloses any information which is confidential by virtue of this regulation, he shall inform the Department accordingly.

(4) This regulation –

(a) is without prejudice to the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993(1); and

(b) does not prohibit the provision, to any authority responsible for exercising any function under any equivalent provision, of information which the Department considers will assist the authority in exercising it.

(1)

S.R. 1993 No. 45, amended by S.R. 1998 No. 238