Recommendation 15

The regulators also provided examples of divergence where the UK and EU were making decisions to different timetables. HSE has been able to get a chemical onto the market quicker than the EU as it has carried out reviews of the active substance and the product simultaneously, rather than one after the other; it estimates this has reduced the time for approval by 18 months without changing the risk.44 The Government is bringing legislation on gene editing before the House, which will represent potentially quite a significant divergence from EU standards. However, FSA suggested that the EU was also examining gene-editing and was likely “to come out in a more similar place to where the English Government are on that”.45 37 Qq 52, 56 38 C&AG’s Report, para 4.15 39 Q 52 40 Q73; C&AG’s Report, para 2.21 41 Q8 42 Q60 43 Q67 44 Q61–63 45 Q66 Regulating after EU Exit 13