Health: Animal Testing Debate

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Department: Home Office

Health: Animal Testing

Lord Taverne Excerpts
Tuesday 4th October 2011

(13 years, 1 month ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Henley Portrait Lord Henley
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I am grateful to the noble Lord for those remarks. That is something that we will be looking at in due course. I cannot comment at this stage.

Lord Taverne Portrait Lord Taverne
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My Lords, the committee set up by this House some years ago on the use of animals in scientific procedures observed, among other things, that the most bureaucratic controls are not necessarily the best controls of animal procedures, and there was some suggestion that there was too much bureaucratic control. Can the Government assure us that steps have been taken by the Home Office to make their procedures less bureaucratic?

Lord Henley Portrait Lord Henley
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My Lords, I hope that they are not over-bureaucratic. As I have said, it is important that we look at and license three aspects: one, the place; two, the person; and three, the project. We will continue to do that as is appropriate. Obviously we will make sure that we are not imposing excessive burdens on any project as and when it should happen. We also want to make sure that the proper research continues in the appropriate manner.