§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 1 December,Official Report, column 605, regarding the research use of animals, if he will specify the nature of the research and experimentation carried out on (a) sheep, (b) goats, (c) pigs, (d) miniature pigs, (e) marmosets and (f) rhesus monkeys.
§ Mr. AitkenIt is not our practice to make available detailed information on the usage of particular species for defence research. Such information could enable a potential aggressor to assess the current state of our medical countermeasures against the threat of attack by chemical or biological weapons. It is not in the national interest to provide such information.
Animal experiments are carried out only when it is judged essential and when no adequate alternative exists. The total number of animal experiments carried out by the Ministry of Defence is about one half of one per cent. of all animal experiments carried out in the United Kingdom.