The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) horses were rehomed after their release from laboratories following research in 2012.
Norman Baker
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.
The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, authority may be given to
re-home animals where those animals were bred or held for supply for use in
regulated procedures, or were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have
been used in regulated procedures. This may also apply to animals which are
being kept under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon after completing
procedures, and is always contingent on our acceptance of certain reassurances
relating to Section 17A of the Act. Records of each animal re-homed would be
kept locally at the licensed establishment so that they can be available to
Home Office Inspectors on request.
European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other
Member States on 1 January 2013, does not provide legal grounds on which the UK
can impose a mandatory obligation of re-homing under the Animals (Scientific
Procedures) Act 1986. Nevertheless, we have provided guidance on re-homing
animals in our Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures)
Act 1983, section 5.21.
