§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the cost of the accreditation charges being introduced for laboratory animals at the Medical Research Council animal centre at Carshalton; what these charges will raise in a full financial year and what other charges are being considered for any other service by the Medical Research Council centre; how these will affect the work of the unit; what consultations have taken place with the recognised trade unions in relation to these matters; what effect the proposals will have on standards at this institution; and what effect this will have on staffing of this unit.
§ Mrs. Shirley Williams,pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 18th July 1977, Vol. 935, c. 384–5], circulated the following information:
The introduction of charges, details of which are still being assessed, for the services provided by the Medical Research Council's Laboratory Animals Centre under its accreditation scheme are not expected by the Council to affect the work of the centre, or lead to any increase in its running costs. In the first full year after their introduction, these charges 738W will raise £14,000, about one-fifth of the cost to the Council of the scheme. It is the Council's intention that the charges should increase over a period of five years to recover the full costs of the scheme, estimated at £70,000 a year. The centre already imposes charges for most of its other services, and in accordance with Government policy the Council is considering the introduction of charges for the remainder.
There have been several consultations with the staff of the centre through the joint negotiating and consultative machinery. The Council sees no reason why the introduction of these charges should have any effect on either standards or staffing at the centre.