§ Sir Dudley Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the introduction of legislation based on the White Paper Cmnd. 9521 entitled "Scientific Experiments on Living Animals" is dependent on the final adoption of the proposed Council of Europe convention for the protection of vertebrate animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrittanThe text of the convention was adopted at a meeting of Ministers' deputies on 31 May 1985. The convention will be opened for signature in the early autunm. I intend to introduce legislation based on the White Paper Cmnd. 9521 as soon as Parliamentary time permits; the introduction of such legislation is not directly dependent on the adoption of the convention.