§ Dr. LadymanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what advice(a) he and (b) his officials gave to the Chairman of the Animal Procedures Committee about the resignation of Dr. David Christopher from the Animal Procedures Committee in 1997; and what advice he has given to the Chairman about Gill Langley's membership of the Committee; [118907]
(2) when he was informed that Gill Langley was the author of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection report on Harlan UK; [118905]
381W(3) following the report from Home Office officials on the credibility of the BUAV report on Harlan UK, what assessment he has made of the extent to which Gill Langley met the requirement for members of the Animal Procedures Committee to act in good faith and to the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity. [118906]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe authorship of the report of the findings of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection investigation at Harlan UK Hillcrest (published in June 1999) was not formally notified to the Secretary of State until 29 March 2000. I understand that a member of the Animal Procedures Committee declared an interest when the subject was raised at the Committee's meeting on 9 February. I have no assessment to offer on her role as Committee member: nor has advice about her membership (which is an appointment made by the Secretary of State) been given to the Chairman.
Dr. Christopher resigned from the Animal Procedures Committee in 1997, after the establishment with which he was associated was investigated by the Home Office. Again, no direction was given by the Secretary of State nor officials to the then Chairman or to that member. As was proper, the Secretariat to the Committee advised the Chairman only on how to handle discussion of the investigation at the relevant meetings of the Committee.