§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the types of products which are required to be tested on animals; and what assessment he has made of alternative procedures. [83329]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Home Office and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 do not require types of product to be tested. The purpose of the 1986 Act is to regulate any experimental or other scientific procedure applied to a protected animal which may cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The safety of products, and the types of test required to assess safety, are the responsibility of other Government Departments.
Section 5(5) of the 1986 Act requires that a project licence shall be granted only if:
- (a) the purpose of the programme to be specified in the licence cannot be achieved satisfactorily by any other reasonably practicable method not entailing the use of protected animals; and
- (b) the regulated procedures to be used are those which use the minimum number of animals, involve animals with the lowest degree of neurophysiological sensitivity, cause the least pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, and are most likely to produce satisfactory results.