§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which species of octopus are being used for scientific procedures in Great Britain which might cause pain or lasting harm.
§ Mr. Charles WardleI refer to my reply to the previous question from the hon. Member for Dundee, East on 11 March at column 415. Octopus vulgaris were included within the provisions of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 from 1 October 1993. Information on any scientific use of this species during the remainder of 1993 will be included in the "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals 1993" to be published later this year.
Project licence authority is not required for the use of other octopus species in scientific procedures, and information about such use is not collected.