§ Baroness Goudieasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the annual report of the Animal Procedures Committee and the Committee's report on its review of the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and whether they will make further appointments to the Committee. [HL89]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)My right honourable friend has laid the committee's annual report before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library. The report contains, at Appendix F, a further report by the committee on its review of the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
We welcome the committee's report and the agenda of work it has identified for itself during the review. We particularly endorse the committee's conclusion that it should be more open and pro-active, and that its independent role needs to be emphasised. My right honourable friend has already agreed to provide a dedicated secretariat for the committee to support this way of working and to help ensure that the committee can continue to carry out its work in an efficient and effective manner.
We are pleased to announce that nine new members are being appointed to the committee with effect from 1 December 1998. In making these appointments, we are strengthening further the animal welfare expertise on the committee and also bolstering the scientific expertise needed by the committee in examining the areas it has set itself, including ethical considerations, biotechnology, use of primates and animal welfare.
The new appointees are:
- Professor Christopher Atterwill—Head of Preclinical Drug Safety Department, Roche Products Limited
- Mr. Mike Baker—Chief Executive, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
- Professor Donald Broom—Professor of Animal Welfare, University of Cambridge
- Professor Grahame Bulfield—Director and Chief Executive, Roslin Institute
- Professor Stephen Clark—Professor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool
- Dr. Alan Holland—Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Lancaster
- Dr. Colin Johnston—Associate Head of Research, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Belfast
- Professor Alan McNeilly—Deputy Director, Medical Research Council Reproductive Biology Unit
- Professor Genevra Richardson—Professor of Public Law, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London
In publicly announcing the committee's annual report, its review and the appointment of new members, we expect to outline other developments: the results of an 5WA audit of dog facilities and the intention of the Home Office to liaise with major grant-awarding bodies. These developments follow the recent announcement of an end to testing of cosmetics on animals in the United Kingdom.