§ Mr. Aitkenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he uses before granting licences to carry out experiments on live animals to ensure that the provisions of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 are carried out as regards the anaesthetising requirements.
§ Dr. SummerskillFor a licensee to perform an experiment without anaesthesia he must hold one or more certificates under the Act given by the president of a learned society and a professor in a medical discipline. The Secretary of State has power to disallow such a certificate and sometimes does so. Examples of grounds for disallowance are that the licensee is not sufficiently qualified or the experiment is badly designed. It is the duty of the Cruelty to Animals Inspectorate to ensure that a licensee observes the requirements of the Act and268W the conditions of his licence and holds whatever certificates are necessary.