§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of the primates which, according to Table 2 of the Home Office statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures for 1999, how many were wild-caught; from which countries were wild-caught primates imported; how many were ill or injured on arrival, indicating the illness or injury in each case; and how many became ill or injured during quarantine for reasons unrelated to the scientific procedures indicating the illness or injury in each case; [5711]
(2) of the primates destined for UK laboratories but not used in scientific procedures how many primates captive-bred outside the EU were found dead on arrival 676W in the UK in 1999 and 2000; how many primates wild-caught outside the EU were found dead on arrival in the UK in 1999 and 2000; how many primates captive-bred outside the EU (a) died and (b) became ill in quarantine in 1999 and 2000; and how many primates wild-caught outside the EU died or became ill in quarantine in 1999 and 2000, indicating the circumstances in each case; [5712]
(3) of the primates which, according to Table 2 of the Home Office statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures for 1999, came from outside the European Union how many were captive-bred; from which countries captive-bred primates were imported; and how many were ill or injured on arrival, indicating the illness or injury in each case and how many became ill or injured during quarantine for reasons unrelated to the scientific procedures, indicating the illness or injury in each case. [5710]
§ Angela EagleWe announced in 1997 our intention that licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 will never be issued for programmes of work involving the use of great apes (chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans) and that exceptional justification is required for the use of wild-caught primates.
In addition, the 1986 Act requires that non-human primates cannot be used unless no other species is suitable. Along with regulatory testing to help ensure the safety of medicines, non-human primates (mainly marmosets and macaques) are also used for other important areas of fundamental research. For example, they contribute to programmes of work relating to Parkinson's disease, visual impairment, stroke, diabetes, disorders of reproduction and vaccine development.
Table 2 of the Statistics of Scientific procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 1999 records 418 nonhuman primates used in scientific procedures as coming from outside the European Union. The detailed information requested in relation to these animals is for the most part not held centrally by the Home Office and it is, therefore, not possible to provide all of the information required about them. However, Home Office records confirm that none of these 418 animals were wild-caught.
The overseas sources of primates used in 1999 were Mauritius, the Philippines, China, Israel and South Africa.
I am advised that problems encountered with imported primates are generally few and instances of death following acquisition are very rare.
It is not possible to provide general information with regard to primates destined for laboratories in the United Kingdom but subsequently not used. Such animals are not included in the annual statistics. I can confirm, however, that no deaths or injuries have been reported in baboons during transportation, including the group of 28 wild-caught baboons imported from Kenya in May 1999 but not used.