{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/genetically-modified-organisms-deliberate-release-regulations-northern-ireland-2003/regulation-21",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/genetically-modified-organisms-deliberate-release-regulations-northern-ireland-2003/regulation-21.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2003/167",
  "legislation_title": "The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/genetically-modified-organisms-deliberate-release-regulations-northern-ireland-2003",
  "path": "regulation/21",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "21",
  "heading": "Decisions by the Department on applications for consent to release",
  "text": "(1) The Department shall not grant a consent to release genetically modified organisms under Article 8(1) of the Order as it relates to the protection of human health without the agreement of the Executive.\n(2) The Department shall not grant or refuse consent to release genetically modified organisms before the end of a period of 60 days beginning on the day on which the application for consent was received.\n(3) The Department shall communicate its decision on an application for a consent to release genetically modified organisms to the applicant and to the Commission before the end of a period of 90 days beginning with the day on which the application was received and shall include in any refusal of consent the reasons for the decision.\n(4) The period prescribed in paragraph (3) shall not include –\n(a) any period beginning with the day on which the Department gives notice in writing under Article 8(6) of the Order that further information in respect of the application is required and ending on the day on which that information is received by the Department; or\n(b) any period of time during which the Department is considering representations submitted by any persons in accordance with regulation 20(b), provided that this consideration shall not prolong the 90 day period referred to in paragraph (3) by more than 30 days.\n(5) A consent to release genetically modified organisms shall require the applicant to send any information which might be relevant to assessing the risk of damage being caused to the environment, with, where appropriate, particular reference to any product which it is intended to market in the future, to the Department as soon as reasonably practicable after completion of the release and thereafter, at such intervals as the Department shall consider appropriate on the basis of the results of the environmental risk assessment.\n(6) The Department shall send to the Commission the information submitted to it in accordance with paragraph (5).",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": "prospective",
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 21 in operation at 15.4.2003, see reg. 1"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2019/190",
      "affecting_title": "The Genetically Modified Organisms (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019"
    },
    {
      "type": "substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2019/190",
      "affecting_title": "The Genetically Modified Organisms (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019"
    },
    {
      "type": "coming into force",
      "affecting": "nisr/2003/167",
      "affecting_title": "The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003"
    },
    {
      "type": "substituted",
      "affecting": "nisr/2005/272",
      "affecting_title": "The Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2003/167/regulation/21",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:03:35.311152+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}