KEEPING an eye on how well the Chemical Weapons Convention is being put into practice in Britain should become easier for both Parliament and the public through an amendment being written into the Chemical Weapons Bill.
During the Bill鈥檚 second reading last week, Phillip Oppenheim, a junior minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, said that there would now be a statutory annual report showing how chemical weapons are being monitored.
鈥淭he government has come a long way,鈥� says Alastair Hay, reader in chemical pathology at the University of Leeds. 鈥淭hey have listened. The only thing I am sorry they haven鈥檛 conceded so far is the need for an advisory committee.鈥�
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An advisory board would be an effective way of keeping abreast of developments, he says. 鈥淚 think they鈥檇 find that an independent advisory board would proffer some very good advice.鈥�