Explanatory note

These Regulations, which extend to Great Britain, revoke and replace the Plant Protection Products (Fees) Regulations 1995 and its 1997 amendment covering fees to be paid to the Secretary of State in connection with examinations for approval under the Plant Protection Products Regulations 1995, as amended. The 1995 Regulations implement Council Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, as amended, in relation to Great Britain.

These Regulations introduce a new fee structure largely based on a modular approach founded on component examination elements, depending on the extent of examination called for by the type of application as well as the statutory examination function involved. The fee modules (Item A in the Table within the Schedule) are categorised into an initial preliminary examination charge, a basic examination charge and charges for specialist evaluations.

This new approach is not however to be applied to fees related to applications for products containing new active substances under Directive 91/414/EEC, (Item B in the Table within the Schedule) where each such application requires examination of a full dossier of data and other information. Resubmission of such an application for approval where an earlier application has been unsuccesful involves a tiered, tapering fee dependent on the relevant percentage of the full data package required for the unsuccessful application. Similarly the new approach is not applied to fees in respect of recognition of a testing facility under the Directive (Item C in the Table).