§ Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Home Office inspectors visit, at least once a year, the 18,666 persons who are licensed to perform experiments on living animals under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876.
§ Dr. Summerskill5,861 visits were made to registered places in 1976 but I cannot say that every licensee is visited at least once a year. Of the 18,666 licensees, 7,181 performed no experiments in 1976. The pattern of visits takes account of factors such as the volume and type of experimental work being carried out.
§ Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 5,474,739 experiments performed on living animals during 1976 were witnessed by the 14 Home Office inspectors.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe figure mentioned in the Question is the number of animals used in experiments in 1976.684W There is no central record of the number of animals inspected on each of the 5,861 visits made to registered places in that year.
§ Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what breeds of cats were used for experiments during 1975, 1976 and 1977.
§ Dr. SummerskillThis information is not available.
§ Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many living animals were used for draize test experiments during 1976 and 1977.
§ Dr. SummerskillThis information is not available for 1976. Statistics of experiments performed on living animals in Great Britain during 1977 under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, which will include information about the number and purpose of experiments in which sub-stances were applied to the eye, will be published shortly by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in Command Paper No. 7333.