§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made in reducing the number of primates for purposes of vivisection in the establishments for which he is responsible.
Mr. JacksonAll proposals which involve the use of animals in scientific experiments must be licensed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Such proposals are subject to very careful scrutiny—including the scope for using alternative experimental approaches not involving live animals. The establishments for which my right hon. Friend is responsible, and which use animals in experimental or other scientific procedures, are subject to the Act's provisions.