§ Mr. Thomas Coxasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether experiments involving the implantation of male hormones into female trout, being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Fisheries laboratory at Lowestoft require licences under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876; whether these licences have been applied for and issued; whether, and if so which, of these experiments are covered by any other legislation on animal protection;
(2) whether the Home Office advisory committee on the administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, has considered experiments being undertaken at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Fisheries laboratory, Lowestoft, in volving the implantation of male hormones into female trout;
(3) how many times since the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food began experiments at the fisheries laboratory, Lowestoft, on the implantation of male hormones into female trout inspectors responsible for the administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 have inspected these experiments.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand from my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, that the experiments on female trout at the laboratory in question do not involve implanation procedures.