§ Mr. Emeryasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will take the necessary steps to ensure that no experiments are carried out on live animals in any school in England and Wales.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonDecisions on the methods used in teaching particular subjects in schools are the responsibility of local education authorities but HM Inspectors have been alerted to the need to keep a careful watch on matters of this kind; and Ministers have made it clear that they would deplore any "experiments" in schools likely to cause suffering to animals. The RSPCA runs many courses for teachers, in co-operation with LEAs, on the care and treatment of animals.
Guidance on animal care is offered in the following publications:
KEEPING ANIMALS IN SCHOOL, DES.
SAFETY IN SCIENCE LABORATORIES, DES.
THE USE OF LIVING ORGANISMS, Schools Council.
VIVISECTION IN SCHOOLS, Institute of Biology.
BIOLOGY TEACHING IN SCHOOLS, Association for Science Education.