§ MR. BANBURY (Peckham)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state how many of the 9,596 animals experimented upon under certificates A and A + E and 1117 A + F have been under the personal observation of the inspectors; and in the case of animals experimented upon under these certificates, which have not been under the personal observation of the inspectors, what is the guarantee, besides the word of the operator himself, that the provisions of the certificates have been obeyed.
The following Questions also appeared on the Paper in the name of the same hon. Member—
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state at how many of the 1,176 experiments on living animals in 1901 done under licence alone an inspector was present, and what is the guarantee, other than the word of the operator himself, that the provisions of the licence as to anæsthesia were obeyed in the cases where an inspector was not present; also at how many of the experiments done under certificate B and B + EE, numbering together 699, was an inspector present; and, when experiments were performed under these certificates without the presence of an inspector, what is the guarantee, besides the word of the operator himself, that the provisions of the certificates and licences as to anæsthesia were obeyed.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state in how many experiments done under Certificates A, A + E, and A + F pain ensued before the main result of the experiment had been attained, and who is the authority that decides whether or not pain does ensue.
§ * MR. RITCHIEPerhaps my hon. friend will allow me to give one answer to his three Questions, as very similar considerations apply to all the points raised. Very few of the experiments under the certificates indicated or under the licences alone have been witnessed by an inspector. But a very large proportion of the animals experimented upon have been seen and carefully examined by the inspectors, and in no case have they found that an animal has been unnecessarily kept alive in pain. The licensee is, of course, responsible for carrying out the 1118 conditions of his licence and certificates, and the additional "guarantees"—if I accept that word—are that the inspectors can judge whether the licensee is in the habit of obeying the conditions by the number of cases which they see and in which they find the animals in a proper state and by the fact that whenever they find an experiment going on the provisions of the law with regard to anæsthesia are obeyed. Further "guarantees" lie in (1) the character of the persons to whom licences are granted and the eminent persons who recommend them, and (2) the fact that such experiments must be performed in registered places, which are under the control of responsible authorities, and that all applications are carefully scrutinised before registration is granted.