§ Lord Houghton of Sowerbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have now abandoned hope of fulfilling their election pledge to update the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 in this Parliament.
§ Lord EltonIt remains the Government's intention to improve and modernise the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 when parliamentary time permits and when final agreement has been reached on the draft Council of Europe Convention on the protection of laboratory animals. At their meeting in Strasbourg from 23rd–26th November, the Council of Europead hoc Committee of Experts agreed the complete texts of the Convention and the Explanatory Report. A further meeting is to be arranged in the earlier part of 1983 to agree the text of the remaining ancillary documents, Appendix A (Guidelines on Accommodation and Care of Animals) and Appendix B (Statistical Tables). The complete text will then he submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption. In the meantime, the Government are continuing to study detailed proposals for the updating of the 1876 Act.