§ Mr. Mathewasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that in the Report of the Littlewood Committee it is stated that the policy of the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not to oppose experiments on animals even where they cause pain, whereas the Society now state that their policy has not changed since 1953 and is opposed to experiments which cause pain to animals; and what representations on this matter shave been made to him by the Society.
§ Sir F. SoskiceThe Society has recently drawn my attention to a passage on page 66 of the Report which it regards as misrepresenting its policy towards experimentation on animals. The Society has drawn attention to the preamble to its memoranda of evidence which reads
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is not an anti-vivisection society. It recognises that some amount of experimental work, involving the use of live animals, may be essential in the interests of human beings and animals. Nevertheless, the Society is firmly opposed to all experimentation that causes pain to animals and is convinced that there exists today a most urgent and imperative need substantially to reduce the number of such experiments, as well as to impose more adequate and stringent safeguards against all possible risk of the infliction, in the course of experiments, of unnecessary suffering.