§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the reply of 4 May, Official Report, column 244, how many dogs are being used in hydatid research; and what is the cost involved in purchasing the animals.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsNo dogs are being used at present in the research projects associated with the pilot programme of work to assess the feasability of eradicating hydatid disease. About 2,300 local dogs are being dosed orally with anthelmintic as part of the pilot programme. None of these dogs has been purchased by the Department.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the requirements of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 are applied in respect of the animals being used for research into hydatid disease; and whether dogs have been purpose-bred for this research.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsThe requirements of the Act do not apply to the hydatid research projects as they do not involve experiments on animals. No dogs are used at present in these projects.