§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what experimentation procedures are undergone by animals classified as experiencing the most severe category of suffering and pain. [24418]
§ Mr. George HowarthInformation on the assessment of severity is provided in the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, sections 4.4 to 4.20. Section 4.11 states that
Procedures will be regarded as being of substantial severity if they result in a major departure from the animals' usual state of health or well-being. These are likely to include acute toxicity procedures where significant morbidity or death is an endpoint; some efficacy tests of antimicrobial agents and vaccines; some models of disease and major surgery where significant post-operative suffering may result".The assessment of severity is a complex matter, as it involves not only the type of procedure involved but the effect of any measures that can be taken to reduce suffering—the use of analgesics or anaesthesia, for example.
40W
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals were classified as experiencing the most severe category of pain and suffering during animal experiments in each of the last three years. [24417]
§ Mr. George HowarthFigures for the number of animals which suffer adverse effects in each of the severity bandings are not collected.
The number of projects classified as being of substantial severity is published annually in the report of the Animal Procedures Committee. Of the 3,869 project licences in force on 31 December 1996, 66 (1.7 per cent.) were classified as being substantial. The figures for 31 December 1997 are currently being collated.
Not all animals used in substantial projects will, however, suffer substantial adverse effects, and some animals used in projects classed as being of mild or moderate severity may suffer substantial adverse effects. Section 4.14 of the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 explains that:
The assessment of the overall severity of a project will reflect the cumulative effect of each procedure; the number of animals used in each procedure; the frequency of use of each procedure; the proportion of animals that are expected to be exposed to the upper limits of severity in each procedure; and the length of time that the animals might be exposed to the upper limits of severity".
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) announced and (b) unannounced visits have been made by inspectors to Porton Down under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for each year from 1990 to date. [24833]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe number of visits(a) to the Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) establishment at Porton Down, (b) to Departments within CDB that were by appointment and (c) to Departments on an unannounced basis were as follows:
Year (a) (b) (c) 1990 5 15 11 1991 9 34 10 1992 8 25 11 1993 7 13 12 1994 6 9 5 1995 13 16 50 1996 13 20 30 1997 11 18 31