§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the (i) longest and (ii) average recorded journey time of primates imported to the United Kingdom for research purposes during 1998 from(a) China, (b) Mauritius, (c) Indonesia and (d) the Philippines. [69281]
§ Mr. George HowarthIn accordance with the measures introduced in 1996, the Home Office only requires that an estimated total journey time be provided prior to each acquisition and that, after each acquisitions, confirmation be provided that the importation was in accordance with what had been authorised.
The information requested is as follows:
Country/journey details Average journey time China Longest—58 hours 52 hours Mauritius Longest—38 hours 28 hours Indonesia No importations during 1998 — Philippines Longest—48 hours 1Estimated 30 hours 1It has not been possible to give an average journey time for acquisitions from the Philippines as the necessary information is still being collated As a result of pressure on airlines from animal protection groups, it is now impossible to fly primates directly to the United Kingdom. Instead, they are usually flown into mainland Europe and then transported to the United Kingdom by road and ferry, increasing the journey times and the associated stress for the animals.