HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 cc84-5W
John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal experiments were conducted in connection with(a) household cleaning products and (b) ingredients used in household cleaning products in each year since 1997: and if he will make a statement. [165436]

Caroline Flint

(a) In the statistics which are collected and published by the Home Office it is not possible to identify household cleaning products separately from other products which are used in the household. The numbers of procedures for testing the safety of such products, in each year since 1997, are shown in table 25 of 'Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain', 2002, a copy of which is in the Library.

For ease of reference the numbers of procedures for safety testing of substances used in the household are shown in the table.

Scientific procedures on living animals for the purpose of safety testing products fir use ill the household, 1997–2002 Great Britain
Number of procedures
1997 2,026
1998 1,477
1999 341
2000 1,242
2001 590
2002 1,032

(b) It is not possible to identify procedures performed for the safety testing of ingredients used in household cleaning products since these substances are likely to have other uses and the procedures will be reported under the category which is most relevant to the likely use of, and exposure to, the substance in question.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of the LD50 test on animals for the testing of pharmaceuticals in the UK. [165449]

Caroline Flint

Guidance produced by the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for the registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) does not recommend LD50 tests on animals, and the Home Office does not license LD50 tests for such agents.