Experiments on Animals

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 June 1971.

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Photo of Mr Mark Carlisle Mr Mark Carlisle , Runcorn 12:00, 11 June 1971

Yes. I accept that the Littlewood Committee recommended that this should be done in advance of implementation of any of its other recommendations. I merely say that it is important to know exactly what the rôle of the Advisory Committee is to be before we decide whether lay members have a part in it. It is equally important to get agreement between the various conflicting interests concerned on what the reconstituted Advisory Committee's position should be.

My hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham—I am using his speech to reply mainly to the various questions—and other hon. Members have asked about the size of the inspectorate. I am told that inspectors carry out regular inspections, usually without prior notice, of all registered premises. They are, therefore, in the nature of spot checks. The report of these visits is included in the annual return of experiments on living animals which is presented to Parliament each year. The number and type of experiments are analysed in the statistics contained in the annual report.

I appreciate that the present number of inspectors is not the number recommended by the Committee, but the Home Office do not at the moment believe that the 21 recommended by the Committee are in fact needed—as I say, the figure has been increased from eight to 13. We are of course keeping this under constant review, and we have to take into account, as any Government must, manpower resources and to justify the case for the use of additional people in any sphere. As I said in my opening speech, the ratio of inspectors and the number of licensees to inspectors is lower than it was at the time of the Report. We keep it under constant review to see whether there is a need for more inspectors. I assure hon. Members that it is not the shortage of suitable people which prevents us from appointing them.