§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been instituted as a result 189W of inspections by Home Office inspectors of premises where experiments involving animals are conducted.
§ Dr. SummerskillWe are aware of none in recent times.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average frequency of visits by Home Office inspectors to each of the premises registered for experiments involving animals.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe frequency of visits varies so considerably, depending on factors such as the number of licensees at the premises and the type and scale of experimental work undertaken, that an average would be meaningless. In 1977, 5,442 visits—mainly without notice—were made to registered places. On 31 December 1977 the number of places registered was 574.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent improvements have been made in animal welfare in institutions conducting experiments on animals which have resulted from recommendations of Home Office inspectors.
§ Dr. SummerskillImprovements are continuously being made in the standards of places registered as suitable for the performance of experiments on animals, many as the result of recommendations by the cruelty to animals inspectorate. In recent years the advice of the inspectorate has been increasingly sought by those planning new animal houses or alterations to existing premises.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the principal criteria applied by Home Office inspectors to institutions at which experiments involving animals are carried out; and whether they include the undesirability of experiments involving pain to animals being duplicated by different organisations.
§ Dr. SummerskillLicences and certificates to perform experiments are held by individual licensees, not by institutions or organisations. In recommending whether authority should be granted, inspectors have regard to the competence and experience of the applicant and to whether the experiments proposed satisfy190W the criteria laid down in the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876. The Act does not permit experiments likely to cause pain unless they are performed with a view to new discovery which may advance physiological knowledge or knowledge useful for saving or prolonging life or alleviating suffering.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means the findings, recommendations and general work of Home Office inspectors of animal experiments are made known to Parliament and the public; and whether he is satisfied that these means are sufficient.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe general nature of the inspectors' work is briefly described in the annual statistical report which is published and placed in the Library of the House, and information is also given from time to time in evidence to official commissions and inquiries, in reply to parliamentary questions and debates, in comments on issues raised by the media, in talks given by members of the inspectorate and in meetings with representatives of animal welfare organisations. We have no reason to think that these means are inadequate.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many animals are at present being used to test tobacco or its substitutes; where these tests are being carried out; and what species of animals are being used in these experiments;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to ban all living animals being used to test tobacco and its substitutes;
(3) what breeds of dogs, cats and primates were used to test tobacco and its substitutes during 1977 and 1978; and how many of each kind were used.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe latest readily available information about the number of such experiments and the species used relates to experiments commenced in 1977 and was published in table 2 of"Experiments on Living Animals: Statistics 1977 "—Cmnd. 7333. No fresh authority to use dogs in smoking experiments has been given since our advisory committee reported on the subject in 1975. Information about breeds of dogs, cats and primates used is not available. For reasons 191W of academic and commercial confidentiality it is not the practice to disclose infomation about experiments and particular establishments. The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to prohibit experiments on living animals to test tobacco or its substitutes.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if an inspector under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 instructs research workers on alternatives to using living animals.
§ Dr. SummerskillNo; but licensees under the Act are urged by the Government to take all reasonable steps, such as consulting the available scientific literature and authorities, to confirm before using living animals that their investigations cannot be effectively carried out by any alternative means.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what species of birds were used in 1977 when 344,324 experiments on birds were done under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876.
§ Dr. SummerskillThis information is not available.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe Government have no present plans to do so.