§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratory animals have died in each of the last three years in experiments not connected with research into human disease such as the testing of weedkillers, cosmetics, paints and other household products; what is the percentage of all such experiments carried out without any anaesthetic; how many persons and organisations have sent protests to his Department against such practices in the same years; and whether, in preparing his White Paper on possible amendment of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, he will include up-to-date statistics of all experiments involving animals and analysis of representations made to him on the subject.
§ Mr. MellorThe records are kept in terms of experiments begun each year on animals and do not show how many of these died as a result. The numbers of animals involved in experiments begun each year from 1977 to 1981 are given by primary purpose in table 15 of the latest annual Command Paper "Statistics of experiments on living animals: Great Britain 1981" (Cmnd. 8657) copies of which are in the Library of the House. Table 18 of those statistics show that in about 19 per cent. of all experiments anaesthesia was used either for part or for the whole of the experiment but separate figures for the use of anaesthesia in experiments involving the testing of household and similar substances could be provided only at disproportionate cost. More recent statistics will not be available until the publication this summer of the 1982 statistics. We received about 2,500 letters about animal experiments in 1980 and in 1981, about 2,800 in 1982. In preparing proposals for amending legislation my right hon. Friend will take all representations made to him fully into account.