§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on(a) the conditions in which zoo animals are kept and (b) the consequences for the safety of their keepers. [13816]
§ Mr. MorleyMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice provide comprehensive guidance on best practice for keeping animals in zoos (this document can be obtained from DEFRAs website at www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/gwd/zooprac/ index.htm). They set out the basic principles that zoos need to observe to secure the proper care and well-being of the animals in their care, and they form the basis on which zoo inspections are carried out on behalf of local authorities under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.
The health and safety of zoo employees is provided for by a separate inspection process under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive. Although the inspection regimes are quite separate, the local authorities often co-ordinate the inspections as benefits can arise from conducting them together.