§ 18. Mr. Royleasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what supervision is exercised by his Department where experiments are made on animals in the course of atomic energy research.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeThe performance on any living vertebrate animal of any experiment calculated to give pain is subject to the restrictions imposed by the 1670 Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876. These include requirements that the experimenter shall hold a licence (and in many cases additional certificates) and that the experiment shall be carried out on registered premises open to inspection by inspectors under the Act.
§ Mr. RoyleI am no crank on these matters, but will not the right hon. and learned Gentleman agree that there is a difference between experimenting on live animals when it is in the interests of preserving life and when it is a case of the destruction of life? Can he give a more satisfactory assurance that there is adequate supervision by his Department at these research stations?
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeI will certainly look into the point, and if the hon. Gentleman has any special aspect of it to raise I will very gladly discuss it with him.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonHave the inspectors a right of entry into Harwell and other atomic energy establishments?
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeThey have a right of entry into the premises concerned.