Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the publication of the Animals in Science Regulation Annual Report for 2016.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office intends to publish the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s Annual Report for 2016 shortly.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 112016 on Animal Experiments: Primates, what steps she has taken to ensure that the harm benefit test in section 5B(3)(d) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the re-use provisions in section 14, can identify effectively a non-human primate that has previously undergone procedures.
Answered by Ben Wallace
All non-human primates used under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (1986) (ASPA), which have previously undergone procedures, can be effectively identified through their individual history files. A file must be kept for each non-human primate as required by Standard Condition 9 of establishment licences held under ASPA. Such files will include a record of the programmes of work involving their use in regulated procedures.
Section 14.1 of ASPA requires that a protected animal which has been subjected to one or more regulated procedures under the Act, must not be used for a further regulated procedure unless the Secretary of State has consented to such further use and specified conditions are met.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any non-human primates that were previously housed at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen, Germany, which was the subject of an investigation and forced to end its research on non-human primates earlier in 2017, have been received in the UK between December 2016 and present.
Answered by Ben Wallace
On 1st January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation has no requirement to request prior permission to import non-human primates acquired from overseas breeding centres. Therefore, the Home Office does not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9980, on iron and steel: procurement, what progress her Department has made on delivering greater UK steel content in line with the public procurement guidelines published by the Government in April 2016.
Answered by Sarah Newton
There are no major construction projects underway or approved in the Home Office estate. The estate is kept under review to ensure that it meets the needs of the business.
Our procurement activities for any future projects will follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what experiments accounted for the 50 per cent increase in 2016 in the number of experiments on new world monkeys, marmosets and tamarins.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The numbers of non-human primates used each year depends on a number of factors, including the programmes of work and available funding.
In 2016 there were 125 new world monkeys, used in basic research: 49 for nervous system; and, 76 for multisystemic research. In the same year, 72 new world monkeys were used for translational and applied research: 24 for human nervous and mental disorders; 24 for other human disorders; and, 24 for non-regulatory toxicology and ecotoxicology.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Table 4 of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2016, what the experiments carried out on the 190 cats were.
Answered by Ben Wallace
138 cats were used for basic research: 24 for cardiovascular blood and lymphatic systems research; 18 for musculoskeletal systems; 24 for endocrine system and metabolism research; one for nervous system research; and, 71 for multisystemic research.
52 cats were used for translational research into animal diseases and disorders. These animals were used for: studies on domestic cat nutrition and dentistry; investigation of physiology and natural disease and its prevention; and, vaccine studies.
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to reduce the use of monkeys in regulatory testing for human medicines since 2016.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office ensures that animals are only used when necessary and under strict controls which keep suffering to a minimum. Any research which we licence must undergo a thorough harm-benefit analysis including ensuring that the planned work implements the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement).
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the primates used in experimental procedures in 2016 were F1, born from wild parents, or F2 greater, born from parents who were also born in captivity; and how she plans to monitor the reduction in F1 primates that should occur if the colonies are truly self-sustaining.
Answered by Ben Wallace
All primates used for the first time in experimental procedures in 2016 were either F2 or greater or from self sustaining colonies.
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 defines a colony of animals as a self sustaining colony if:
(a) the colony is kept in captivity in a way that ensures the animals are accustomed to humans;
(b) the colony consists only of animals that have been bred in captivity; and
(c) the colony is sustained only by animals being bred within the colony or animals being sourced from other colonies that meet paragraphs (a) and (b).
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Table 2.3 of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 2016, how her Department ensures that the colonies from which 1,739 primates used for the first time in experimental procedures in 2016 originate are self-sustaining.
Answered by Ben Wallace
On 1 January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation does not grant Home Office inspectors entitlement to inspect overseas facilities. The Home Office expects all establishments to exercise due diligence when acquiring non-human primates as set out in the published guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291350/Guidance_on_the_Operation_of_ASPA.pdf
Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many primates used in experiments for the first time in 2016 came from Asia or Africa; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that there is a reduction in the importation of monkeys for research.
Answered by Ben Wallace
In 2016 652 non-human primates used for the first time in scientific research came from Asia and 1,525 came from Africa.
The Home Office ensures that animals are only used when necessary and under strict controls which keep suffering to the minimum necessary. Any research that is licensed has undergone a thorough harm-benefit analysis including ensuring that the planned work fully implements the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement).