Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that research scientists are given appropriate training to understand the terms of their animal experimentation licences.
Answered by Norman Baker
The training requirements for all licence holders under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are set out in section 9 of the Guidance on the Operation of the 1986 Act.
The licensed establishments Named Training & Competency Officer (NTCO) has to confirm the suitability of applicants for personal licences and applicants are required to satisfactorily complete the relevant formal module training provided by Accredited Training Bodies.
Personal licence holders are also required to undertake practical training under supervision until confirmed as competent in each technique at their place(s) of work. They should review their training and supervision needs regularly with their NTCO as a minimum every five years but generally more frequently.
Training for project licence holders includes the formal module training required and applicants will need to demonstrate the necessary scientific expertise and knowledge to direct and manage the programme of work applied for.
Establishment licence holders and Named Persons Responsible for Compliance are expected to understand the relevant legal and ethical issues relating to the use of animals under the 1986 Act. They are expected to undertake accredited training in the relevant module(s) to provide this understanding.
Records of training, supervision and competence are required to be kept by the Establishment and are open to inspection.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for the regulatory regime for animal experimentation of the findings of the Animals in Science Committee report into Imperial College, published in July 2014.
Answered by Norman Baker
The Animals in Science Committee found no evidence of omission on the part of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit and its inspectors in their oversight of Imperial College London. I welcome and endorse their confidence in the work of inspectors.
Nevertheless, the ASC report makes several sensible recommendations to support inspectors in achieving improvement in establishments where a pattern of low-level concerns is apparent. The outcome of all the ASC’s recommendations should be to drive better practice across all licensed establishments and I intend to ensure these improvements are made. I have fully accepted all the recommendations.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research her Department has conducted or assessed on the level of comprehension among research scientists conducting animal experiments about the terms of animal experimentation licences which they hold.
Answered by Norman Baker
Licence applicants are required to undergo formal training prior to obtaining licence which includes a requirement to understand the legislation and detailed information about their roles and responsibilities. Establishments are also required to continue to assess the competency of those holding licences, including their understanding of roles and responsibilities. These records of training, supervision and competence are available for formal inspection.
As part of the inspection process, Home Office Inspectors regularly monitor licence holders’ understanding of their licences.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the numbers of inspectors in post to monitor animal experiments.
Answered by Norman Baker
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate plays a key role in the implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
I am committed to maintaining a strong and properly resourced inspectorate, and a full, risk-based programme of inspections. The relationship between inspectors, licence holders and animal care staff is crucial to the effective implementation of the regulatory framework. I will not jeopardise that relationship.
In June 2014 I agreed that the current number of inspectors was sufficient to meet the requirements of the 1986 Act following the implementation of European Directive 2010/63/EU. There are three key factors to be achieved from an effective risk based inspection regime, monitoring compliance, intelligence gathering and an educational role. The Inspectorate implements a risk-based approach to inspection and the effectiveness of the risk-based approach continues to be monitored.
I commissioned the Animals in Science Committee to provide me with an independent report to consider lessons to be learnt from reviews and
investigations into non-compliance stemming from allegations of non-compliance at Imperial College London. The ASC report was published on 2 July 2014 and it found no evidence of omission on the part of the Home Office Inspectorate in their oversight of ICL. I welcome and endorse its confidence in the work of inspectors.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) mice, (b) rats, (c) guinea pigs, (d) hamsters, (e) rabbits, (f) horses and other equids, (g) sheep, (h) pigs, (i) birds, (j) amphibians, (k) reptiles, (l) fish, (m) cats, (n) dogs, (o) New World primates and (p) Old World primates were used in regulated procedures conducted in Scotland under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2013.
Answered by Norman Baker
In 2013 in Scotland, regarding the number of animals used in regulated procedures conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986:
(a) 404,777 mice
(b) 29,693 rats
(c) 1,390 guinea pigs
(d) 663 hamsters
(e) 1,764 rabbits
(f) 45 horses and other equids
(g) 3,694 sheep
(h) 587 pigs
(i) 17,173 birds
(j) 69 amphibians
(k) No reptiles
(l) 156,692 fish
(m) 11 cats
(n) 833 dogs
(o) No new world primates
(p) 638 old world primates
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were recorded in Scotland in 2013; and how many such infringements led to a prosecution.
Answered by James Brokenshire
There were two cases of non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 recorded in Scotland in 2013. Neither led to a prosecution.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department grants permission to laboratories to cut the vocal cords of dogs in order to reduce noise.
Answered by Norman Baker
The Home Office would not authorise the cutting of vocal cords of dogs under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We cannot envisage any scenario where that would be acceptable unless it were for the health and well-being of the individual animal with the procedure conducted under Veterinary Surgeons Act.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places in Scotland were designated as a (a) supplying establishment, (b) breeding establishment and (c) scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of 2013.
Answered by Norman Baker
The total number of establishment licences, provided under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, in force in Scotland at the end of 2013 was 27. All 27 establishments were licensed to apply regulated procedures to protected animals. Eight of the 27 establishments were licensed for the keeping of protected animals for supply elsewhere and 14 were licensed for the breeding of protected animals.Some establishments are users, breeders and suppliers.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland was in the (a) mild, (b) moderate, (c) substantial and (d) unclassified severity banding at the end of 2013.
Answered by Norman Baker
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, was amended following the transposition of European Directive 2010/63EU, which came into force on 1 January 2013. Project licences are no longer accorded a severity banding and accordingly it is not possible to provide the information required as it is no longer collected.
Asked by: Graeme Morrice (Labour - Livingston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many project licences were granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland in 2013; and how many such licences were in force at the end of 2013 in respect of work to be carried out in Scotland.
Answered by Norman Baker
The number of project licences granted, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland in 2013 was 107. The numbers of project
licences in force in Scotland at the end of 2013 was 441.