HC Deb 19 April 1991 vol 189 cc273-5W
Mr. Meale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action is taken to ensure that the cats and dogs supplied by suppliers given temporary licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to supply non purpose-bred cats and dogs to designated establishments are not strays or were not originally stolen;

(2) on what grounds temporary suppliers' licences are granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to suppliers of non purpose-bred dogs, including ex-racing greyhounds.

Mrs. Rumbold

Certificates of designation issued under secton 7 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to breeding and supplying establishments are not granted on a temporary basis. Exemptions may be granted to the standard condition applying to such certificates, which requires that animals must be obtained from designated breeding and supplying establishments. Breeding estab-lishments have been granted exemptions to obtain dogs from non-designated sources only for use as breeding stock.

Exemptions may also be granted to the requirement in section 10(3) of the Act applying to project licences that only those cats and dogs specially bred at and obtained from designated sources may be used in scientific procedures. No exemptions have been granted to allow the use of cats obtained from non-designated sources at designated user establishments.

Where there is a shortage of certain types of purpose-bred dogs for use in research, it is necessary to grant some exemptions. Care is taken to ensure that greyhounds obtained from non-designated sources are neither pets nor ex-racing greyhounds which have been supplied to charitable bodies as pets.

The conditions applied to licences and certificates ensure that stray or stolen cats or dogs cannot be legitimately supplied for use in regulated procedures.

Mr. Meale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will identify the National Greyhound Racing Club licensed trainer who has been licensed to supply ex-racing greyhounds to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School for use in animal procedures:

(2) if he will identify all sources of greyhounds and other dogs supplied to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School for use in animal procedures.

Mrs. Rumbold

No certificate of designation has been granted under section 7 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for the supply of ex-racing greyhounds to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School for use in scientific procedures. Exemptions have been granted at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School to obtain a limited number of greyhounds from non-designated sources for a limited period.

It is not our practice to give details of the sources of animals supplied for use in scientific procedures. The RPMS intends to use specially bred greyhounds which are expected to become available during the summer. In the meantime, we understand that the RPMS has agreed with the NGRC not to use greyhounds which have raced on licensed tracks.

Mr. Meale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suppliers to establishments licensed to carry out procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are licensed to supply non purpose-bred cats and dogs; what numbers of such animals were supplied to British laboratories last year; and if he will publish details in the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals.

Mrs. Rumbold

Exemptions for project licence-holders to acquire dogs from non-designated suppliers have been granted in only a very small number of cases. No exemptions have been granted for cats.

Statistics on the total number of animals supplied are not available centrally and there are no plans to collect them for publication in the annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals.

Mr. Meale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inspections of suppliers given temporary licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to supply non purpose-bred cats and dogs to designated establishments are made each year by the Home Office inspectorate.

Mrs. Rumbold

Inspectors have powers to inspect only designated establishments. Exemptions have been granted to enable project licence-holders at scientific procedure establishments to obtain animals from non-designated sources. If questions were to arise about the health or quality of the animals, exemptions would not be granted or would be withdrawn.