HC Deb 04 April 2000 vol 347 cc435-7W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 7 March 2000,Official Report, columns 566–68W, on animal experiments, how many of the nine project licences awarded in 1998 to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs were awarded in order to fulfil legislative requirements; and, for each project licence awarded for this reason, what was the legislative requirement in question. [116935]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

My reply to the hon. Member on 7 March 2000,Official Report, columns 566–68W, reported that the procedures recorded in Table 11 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures Great Britain 1998 were carried out under 39 separate project licences.

Home Office records are not held in such a way to enable the specific legislative requirement that applied to each licence to be easily identified. My earlier reply provides examples of specific legislative requirements relevant to Table 11.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in(a) 1998 and (b) 1999 licences were awarded to allow procedures to be carried out on dogs to satisfy non-United Kingdom and non-European Union legislative requirements which required (i) more dogs to be used and (ii) dogs to be used in procedures involving more pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm, than the corresponding UK/EU legislative requirements, identifying in each case the (1) non-EU and (2) UK or EU legislative requirements. [116934]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Comparing and contrasting the technical specifications of all of the possible test requirements will require a good deal of effort and it may not be possible to provide precise answers and would be very expensive.

To be of some assistance, I could provide information on the number of licences issued in 1998 and 1999 that might generate data for regulatory requirements using dogs and explain how these are used to satisfy a number of regulators. It will, however, take time to gather the information and I will write to the hon. Member within the next two weeks.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if wild-caught monkeys destined for use in experiments are tested for(a) Ebola, (b) SIV and (c) Hepatitis; and if he will make a statement. [117019]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regulates the screening and quarantining of non-human primates entering the United Kingdom. All simians imported into the United Kingdom are required to undergo six months' quarantine against rabies in premises authorised by that Department.

There are no specific Home Office requirements over and above those set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times Huntingdon Life Sciences has been inspected by his Department's inspectors in the last three years, broken down between(a) announced and (b) unannounced visits; and if he will make a statement; [117020]

(2) how many wild-caught baboons Huntingdon Life Sciences have used to date; and if he will make a statement; [117021]

(3) if he will list the establishments within the United Kingdom licensed to use wild-caught baboons since May 1 1997; and if he will make a statement. [117022]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prevents disclosure of detailed information about individual establishments licensed under the Act.

We are taking further legal advice on this in respect of these matters and are reviewing section 24 in the light of Freedom of Information legislation.

I will write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals and of what species are held at the Huntingdon Life Sciences sites at(a) Huntingdon and (b) Occold; and if he will make a statement. [117023]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Home Office records identify the number of project licences currently in force at each licensed establishment and also show the species of animal and the maximum number of animals that can be used under each licence. Our records do not show how many animals and of what species are being held at an establishment at any one time.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratory rodents have been killed(a) this year and (b) in each of the last three years because they were surplus to requirements; and if he will make a statement. [117090]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The Home Office does not collect this information centrally. The Animal Procedures Committee has a working group on overbreeding which is considering how this issue can be taken forward.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted for LD50 tests since 21 October 1999. [117076]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

No new licences authorising the LD50 test (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Guideline 401) have been issued since 21 October 1999. One licence issued after 5 September 1998 was varied on 21 October 1999 to remove authority for the test. Subsequently, a review of all existing licences identified a further 13 currently containing authority for the test. Of these, 11 have now been varied to remove that authority. A final decision has not yet been made on the two remaining licences pending consideration of representations from the licensees under section 12 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We will no longer grant new licences for LD50.