§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will ban the import of primates from Indonesia; [22378]
62Wtable. Women prisoners are categorised as either suitable for closed or open prisons. The mother and baby units at Holloway. New Hall and Styal are all in closed prisons. The mother and baby unit at Askham Grange is in an open prison.
(2) what action he has taken to investigate alleged breaches in the provision of the CITES convention in respect of the importing of primates from Indonesia. [22385]
§ Mr. George HowarthSince 1996, approval for the acquisition of primates from overseas sources for use in scientific procedures has been given only if the Home Office is satisfied that the conditions at the breeding and supplying centre are acceptable. Each batch of animals acquired from overseas sources must be separately authorised and the transport arrangements approved by the Home Office.
After each batch of animals is received, the recipient must send to the Home Office:
- (a) confirmation that the animals were shipped according to the prior agreement and that they arrived safely;
- (b) life-time records for each individual animal;
- (c) the report of the veterinary inspection on arrival; and
- (d) details of any morbidity and mortality arising during the first four weeks following arrival in the United Kingdom.
An application was received during 1996 for approval to acquire macaques from a particular centre in Indonesia. A member of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate had previously visited this centre. There had been some deficiencies in the standards of care and accommodation, but these had been corrected before the application was submitted. The application was approved.
No animals have been imported into the United Kingdom from this source for over 12 months.
Recent reports emanating from the United States of America suggested that the centre had been involved in the transportation of pregnant and infant animals and that the levels of care and accommodation during transport were inadequate. A member of the Inspectorate investigated these reports during a recent visit to the United States of America and found evidence to support 63W the allegations. Approval to acquire primates from this source for use in the United Kingdom was immediately withdrawn. Any future application to acquire animals from this centre will be considered only if the applicant can demonstrate that these problems have been rectified and will not recur.