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Home Office

Answer

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure that animal experiments taking place at universities are legal and ethical. [179599] Caroline Flint :[holding answer 22 June 2004]: The use of animals in scientific procedures in the UK, whether at universities or elsewhere, is strictly regulated by the Home Office in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Licences are only granted for animal experiments undertaken for specified permissible purposes. There has to be no alternative to using animals, and the likely benefits of the work have to outweigh the adverse effects on the animals concerned. The number of animals used and any suffering that may be caused have to be minimised. Any proposal to conduct a programme of animal experiments has first to be considered by the local ethical review process at the establishment concerned. A licence application is only submitted to the Home Office once those involved in that local process are satisfied that it can be justified. Applications received by the Home Office are rigorously assessed by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, to ensure the criteria in the 1986 Act are met. Inspectors are either medical or veterinary graduates, and advise the Secretary of State on whether and on what terms licence authorities should be granted. Some applications are also referred for advice to the Animal Procedures Committee. Establishments where licensed animal experiments are conducted are visited regularly by the inspectorate, to monitor progress and ensure compliance with licence authorities. The majority of visits of inspections are without notice. Appropriate action is taken should irregularities or breaches of licence conditions come to light.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

179599; 423 c198-9W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Animal experiments Licensing Inspections Universities Regulation

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk