HC Deb 14 February 1946 vol 419 c129W
Mr. P. Freeman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many experiments were performed on cats and dogs under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, during the year 1944, with and without anaesthetics, separately; and in how many cases, respectively, were the cats and dogs allowed to recover from the effects of the anaesthetics.

Mr. Ede

The number of experiments performed under the Act in 1944 on cats or dogs without anaesthetics was 8,055, and the number in which the licence holder was authorised to allow a cat or dog to recover from an anaesthetic was 505. As respects experiments performed entirely under anaesthetics, I have no separate figures for cats and dogs, but the total number of such experiments on animals of any kind was 8,764.

Mr. P. Freeman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inspectors were employed in 1944 for the purpose of inspecting 1,281,882 simple inoculations and similar proceedings; what method is employed for reporting cases of unnecessary suffering to the animals concerned; and how many cases were so reported.

Mr. Ede

To relate the number of Inspectors to the number of simple inoculations involves a misconception of the nature of the Inspectors' work and methods. There were four Inspectors in 1944 and I know of no ground for the suggestion that they were unable to exercise proper supervision. Any un- necessary suffering would have been a breach of the conditions laid down and would have been reported, but in their inspections the Inspectors found that the conditions were faithfully observed and no case of unnecessary suffering was reported.