§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when live firing experiments using animals were last carried out(a) in the UK and (b) involving UK personnel. [82521]
§ Mr. SpellarThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Michael Hancock, dated 13 May 1999:
I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about live firing experiments using animals. My reply refers to the arrangements at DERA as we undertake, on behalf of MOD, the majority of work involving the use of animals.191WDERA, or one of its predecessors, has conducted research into the prevention and treatment of physical injuries certainly since the mid 1970s. Over the course of the last year live firing experiments using anaesthetised animals were carried out in the UK involving UK personnel during May, June, July, September and November 1998 and February 1999.Recent areas of research include:the use of anaesthetised pigs to develop enhanced blast protection for military personnel and to validate physical and computer models of chest injury from blast waves.work on anaesthetised rats to determine the pathophysiology of abdominal and thoracic injury from blast waves and the development of treatment strategies for injured military personnel.I hope the above is helpful.