§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that at an anti-vivisection meeting held at Bradford on the 30th September last, Dr. Kerr, speaking against the proposed withdrawal of licences granted to vivisectors, said the effect of the proposed step would be to increase the number of illegal experiments on the bodies of living animals, and that such experiments were performed by many of his fellow doctors at Bradford, as it was necessary in the cause of science that such experiments should be made; whether he is aware that Dr. Kerr stated that Dr. Hines, of Horton Road, Bradford, was the only vivisector in Bradford who carried out experiments in vivisection under the licence required by law, and that Dr. Hines, who was present, stated that he had performed hundreds of vivisections, and should continue to do so; whether he is aware that the secretary of the Anti-Vivisection Society produced a list of licensed vivisectors, on which the name of Dr. Hines did not appear; and whether, in view of these facts, he intends to take any, and what, steps for the enforcement of the law against the practice of unlicensed vivisection?
§ MR. COLLINGSThe Secretary of State for the Home Department believes that at a somewhat excited meeting in Bradford on the date mentioned statements to the effect 1039 suggested were made. His attention was drawn to the matter at the time, and he caused inquiry to be made, but could not elicit any clear statement of what was actually alleged, nor any evidence of illegal vivisection being performed by Dr. Hime—not Hines. There are, therefore, no steps which he can take in the matter. I may add that it should be remembered that performing upon an animal an experiment calculated to give pain without a licence is an ordinary criminal offence which any person may prosecute.