Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals were used in (a) between two and five, (b) between six and 10, (c) between 11 and 15, (d) between 16 and 19 and (e) more than 20 scientific procedures in 2013; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for increases in the number of animals being used in more than one scientific procedure.

The Home Office does not hold the information asked for, as it does not form part of the regular data collection.

The Secretary of State must give consent to the re-use of an animal in scientific procedures and specifically authorise the re-use in the project licence. Details of the specific conditions are in Section 5:19 of the Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Home Office Inspectors will assess all project licence applications and this will include a rigorous harm / benefit analysis to ensure that the likely benefits of the work justify the expected harms that will be experienced by the animals. Work will only be authorised if it is for one of the permissible purposes outlined in section 5.3 (C) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and if the harms have been minimised.

During the lifetime of the licence the harms and benefits are continually reviewed by the Inspectorate as part of the Inspection regime and also by the licence holder and other named officials within the establishment. This is to ensure that harms are always minimised whilst delivering benefits.

The majority of re-use is where animals have been subject to mild procedures such as dosing and sampling procedures in the testing of novel treatments, or blood collection for diagnostic purposes or for further laboratory tests not involving the use of live animals.