§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West of 11 July,Official Report, column 495, if he will give details of the animals used in experiments by his Department or undertaken on a contract basis for each year since 1985 by (a) animal, (b) numbers and (c) type of experiment or test.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 20 July 1989]: The number of Ministry of Defence animal experiments recorded by the Home Office under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 and the subsequent Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 between 1985 and 1987 (the last full year for which figures are available) is as follows:
Number 1985 6,900 1986 6,600 1987 9,200 It is not our practice to provide further breakdown of these figures. Such information could enable an informed observer to gain a useful insight into the scope and direction of MOD's work, to the detriment of national security.
Contractors have the same reporting responsibilities as MOD under the act and their procedures are reported to the Home Office, not to MOD.