§ Mr. Arthur Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it a condition of licensing breeders of laboratory animals that they insure to provide for the feeding and care of their animals in the event of a business collapse.
§ Dr. SummerskillA breeder of dogs for sale requires a licence from a local authority under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 whether or not the dogs are being bred for experimental purposes, but no breeders of other animals require a licence. The authority has power under the 1973 Act to attach conditions designed to ensure the well-being of the animals. It would be for the local authority to decide whether to interpret this power as extending to a condition requiring insurance against a risk of the kind described and, if so, whether to impose such a condition.