§ Mr. Thurnhamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the trend in LD50 tests as a percentage of all acute toxicity tests since 1977; and if it remains his policy that LD50 tests will continue to be monitored closely.
§ Mr. MellorInformation on the numbers of LD50 tests carried out is not available as LD50 tests are not identified separately from other acute toxicity tests in the current returns on statistics of experiments performed on living animals. However, the total number of acute toxicity tests has fallen by nearly 30 per cent. between 1977 and 1984, and it is likely that the number of LD50 tests fell at an even
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Population per officer Police Force Authorised Establishment on 31 December 1985 Strength on 31 December 1985 Population of force area (Mid-1984) Based on Establishment Based on Strength Avon and Somerset 3,020 2,965 1,381,000 457 466 Bedfordshire 1,000 982 516,000 516 525 Cambridgeshire 1,140 1,141 609,000 534 534 Cheshire 1,845 1,803 937,000 508 520 Cleveland 1,474 1,461 563,000 382 385 Cumbria 1,128 1,120 484,000 429 432 Derbyshire 1,767 1,765 912,000 516 517 Devon and Cornwall 2,739 2,747 1,417,000 517 516 Dorset 1,203 1,202 618,000 514 514 Durham 1,357 1,293 604,000 445 467 Dyfed Powys 934 924 446,000 478 483 Essex 2,673 2,678 1,427,000 534 533 Gloucestershire 1,164 1,151 509,000 437 442 Greater Manchester 6,943 6,779 2,588,000 373 382 Gwent 978 971 440,000 450 453 Hampshire 3,084 3,068 1,630,000 529 531 Hertfordshire 1,578 1,584 835,000 529 527 Humberside 1,972 1,936 852,000 432 440 Kent 2,875 2,859 1,492,000 519 522 Lancashire 3,158 3,004 1,379,000 437 459 Leicestershire 1,733 1,750 866,000 500 495 Lincolnshire 1,183 1,141 557,000 471 488 Merseyside 4,607 4,554 1,491,000 324 327 Norfolk 1,278 1,263 715,000 559 566 Northamptonshire 1,031 1,017 540,000 524 531 Northumbria 3,378 3,368 1,443,000 427 428 North Wales 1,316 1,251 629,000 478 503 North Yorkshire 1,368 1,353 691,000 505 511 Nottinghamshire 2,259 2,214 1,000,000 443 452 South Wales 3,109 3,064 1,293,000 416 422 South Yorkshire 2,872 2,850 1,305,000 454 458 Staffordshire 2,104 2,102 1,019,000 484 485 Suffolk 1,136 1,131 616,000 542 545 Surrey 1,626 1,627 779,000 479 479 Sussex 2,830 2,790 1,362,000 481 488 Thames Valley 3,317 3,283 1,866,000 563 568 Warwickshire 925 939 478,000 517 509 West Mercia 1,953 1,924 1,032,000 528 536 West Midlands 6,684 6,555 2,647,000 396 404 West Yorkshire 5,154 5,049 2,056,000 399 407 Wiltshire 1,045 1,028 536,000 513 521 Total 92,940 91,686 42,560,000 458 464 City of London 798 782 5,000 6 6 Metropolitan 27,165 26,705 7,202,000 265 270 faster rate. Scientific opinion is moving in the direction of even further reductions in the number of LD50 tests, and the Government encourage their replacement by other forms of toxicity test wherever possible. It remains the policy of my right hon. Friend to monitor closely the use of animals in acute toxicity testing. It is our intention that the new statistical return we shall introduce to reflect the new system of controls in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill will identify LD50 tests separately. The project licensing system proposed under the Bill will substantially extend my right hon. Friend's control over the number of these tests.