HC Deb 17 July 1968 vol 768 cc231-4W
Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he plans to take to amend the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, as recommended by the Littlewood Committee, so that it applies clearly to any experimental procedure liable to cause pain, stress, or interference with an animal's normal condition of well-being;

(2) what plans he has to seek to impose restrictions of general application on the infliction of avoidable pain, severe pain which endured or is likely to endure, and discomfort which is likely to endure, in accordance with recommendation two of the Littlewood Committee;

(3) whether he will seek to give statutory power to inspectors to order the immediate destruction of an animal in considerable pain whilst being experimented upon;

(4) what plans he has to seek to ban the use of curare-form drugs in experiments on animals except in conjunction with anaesthesia of sufficient depth to produce loss of consciousness in accordance with Recommendation 6 of the Littlewood Report;

(5) if he will take steps to prohibit experiments in research and diagnosis on animals unless performed with a view to the advancement by new discovery of biological knowledge or knowledge that will be useful for saving life or alleviating suffering, in accordance with Recommendation 22 of the Littlewood Report.

Mr. Ennals

In general the objectives sought by the hon. and gallant Member are largely secured by long-standing restrictions imposed by and under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876. As regards the introduction of legislation to give statutory force to all such requirements, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave on 4th July to a Question by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward M. Taylor).—[Vol. 767, c.261.]

Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he will take steps to amend the Home Office Notes on Delegation in order to ensure that, where the services of a veterinary surgeon are not available only persons adequately trained in anaesthesia by a senior licensee shall be allowed to anaesthetise animals;

(2) what guidance has been given by his Department to people holding licences to carry out experiments on animals on methods of painless killing, in accordance with Recommendation 7 of the Littlewood Report;

(3) if he will give details of the instructions issued to applicants for licences for experiments on animals to avoid unnecessary repetition or duplication in their proposed experiments in accordance with Recommendation 11 of the Littlewood Report.

Mr. Ennals

The Departmental Committee on Experiments on Animals recommended that no changes in the existing system of control should be introduced before new legislation took effect. At this stage, my right hon. Friend has no proposals in mind for implementing recommendations numbers 4, 7 and 11 made by the Committee.

Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inspections of applications for licences to carry out experiments on animals, together with checks on record books to avoid repetitive work, have been carried out in 1967 and in the first six months of 1968.

Mr. Ennals

The recommendation that Home Office inspectors should examine applications and record books to check against the possibility of repetitive work cannot be implemented in advance of the introduction of a revised system of control over experiments on living animals. All applications for licences are at present scrutinised to ascertain whether they should be granted under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876. The number of licence applications received is not readily available, but in 1967 2,763 licences were granted; the corresponding figure for the first six months of 1968 is 1,187.

Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the decerebration of warm-blooded animals for teaching purposes will no longer be authorised by licence under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876.

Mr. Ennals

This must depend on legislation to allow the use of fatally anaesthetised animals for this purpose.

Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for bringing the breeding of animals for research under statutory control.

Mr. Ennals

I cannot say when it might be practicable to introduce legislation on this matter.

Mr. Burden

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue instructions that no operative procedure more severe than simple inoculation or superficial vivisection shall be permissible in any experiment on an animal without anaesthesia, in accordance with Recommendation 23 of the Little-wood Report.

Mr. Ennals

Every certificate allowing an experiment to be carried out without anaesthesia is already restricted by such a condition.