Mike Hancock News
MP calls for end to secrecy after record-breaking increase in animal experiments
Mike Hancock has called for an end to secrecy over animal experiments after it was revealed that there had been a record-breaking increase in their number.
Mike Hancock recently tabled a Parliamentary Motion called for an end to secrecy over animal experiments. Details about experiments are not subject to Freedom of Information as other Government information is. Section 24 of the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prevents the Home Office from disclosing any information, however trivial, about animal experiments that researchers want kept secret. Now the MP is saying this must end.
Government released today show a year on year increase of 454,000 to nearly 3.7m experiments. There was also increase in the number of experiments on primates such as macaques and marmosets by 14%. There were also 45 cases where scientists had infringed the licences to do research on animals.
Mike Hancock, a campaigner for animal rights in Parliament said: "There is obviously some information as in other areas that should be kept confidential. But I don't see why the public should not be able to put in requests under Freedom of Information as in other areas of Government work. I just can't understand why 3.7 million experiments are needed. It is a vast number. And we only have the scantiest knowledge of what is happening in these experiments. We need a more illuminating light shone on this area. Making it subject to FOI requests would be a start. The revelation of the massive number of experiments last year show that Government protestations that it is trying to reduce the number of animal experiments are bunkum."
Notes: Mike's EDM on Freedom of Information and Animal Experimentation can be found here - http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39837&SESSION=903
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