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Exchange Rate

Mr. Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the benefits of linking sterling to the US dollar. [18840]

Mrs. Liddell: No.

DEFENCE

Espionage

Mr. Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish an inquiry into the role of officials in advising Ministers about the use of Hull trawlers for espionage and counter-espionage. [16688]

Dr. Reid: I do not believe this is necessary.

Mr. Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the use of trawlers for espionage and counter-espionage in the late 1960s and 1970s. [16690]

Dr. Reid: A very limited number of trawlers assisted the Government in specific intelligence gathering in the 1960s and early 1970s.

At the time there was also a scheme whereby Royal Navy officers gained sea going experience in merchant ships, including deep sea trawlers. All RN personnel were encouraged to report back any opportunity sightings of interest, as indeed were the trawlermen themselves.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many procedures resulting in the deaths of animals carried out (a) at Porton Down and (b) elsewhere in the last five years were undertaken on behalf of (i) other countries and (ii) other EU countries; [17618]

(2) how many procedures on animals carried out at (a) Porton Down and (b) elsewhere, have resulted in the deaths of (i) rodents, (ii) pigs and (iii) monkeys and apes in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of these figures for each of the next five years; [17617]

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(3) what is his estimate of the numbers of procedures on animals carried out at (a) Porton Down and (b) elsewhere, that will result in the deaths of animals in each of the next 10 years. [17619]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 25 November 1997]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 2 December 1997:

I have been asked to reply to your three recent questions requesting information on the numbers of procedures on animals carried out at Porton Down and elsewhere which result in the death of the animals. I am answering all three questions in this letter.

You asked how many procedures resulting in the death of animals are likely to take place in the next ten years. It is not possible to predict the number of such procedures as the size of the programme is based on MOD's research requirements which are reassessed on a yearly basis. However, as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) which carries out most of this work, I can predict that procedures on animals may well increase in the short term as DERA scientists at Porton Down are involved in a continuing programme to develop more effective protection against biological weapons.

You also requested the numbers of procedures which have resulted in the deaths of rodents, pigs and monkeys for the past five years. The number of procedures involving these species carried out by DERA at Porton Down, which undertakes most of this work for the MOD, during each of the last five years are listed in the table below.

Year	Rodents	Pigs	Monkeys
1992	3,791	132	72
1993	5,976	109	36
1994	6,844	102	17
1995	8,112	48	17
1996	10,129	48	14

Information on the number of procedures resulting in the deaths of such animals as a result of research conducted elsewhere is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

It is not possible to predict the numbers of deaths for the next five years for the reason given above.

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All animals are disposed of humanely using an approved method under Schedule 1 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of procedures in accordance with the specific Home Office licences.

Your third question asked about procedures on animals undertaken on behalf of other countries, including EU countries during the last five years. DERA has not undertaken any research projects on behalf of other countries in the last five years which have involved the use of animals.

DERA does, however, take part in collaborative research programmes which involve a sharing of data from experiments.. This can prevent the duplication of experiments and may well help reduce the numbers of animals used in defence research.

I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animals were used in experiments carried out at Porton Down in each year since 1967 (a) in total, (b) by species and (c) by category of experiments. [17919]

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Mr. Spellar [holding answer 28 November 1997]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Norman Baker, dated 2 December 1997:

As Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which has responsibility for the Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) Sector at Porton Down, I have been asked to respond to your question about animal experiments.

CBD Sector has attempted to locate all of the information which you have requested. However, during the period from 1967 to 1980, records on the numbers and species of animals used for experimental work were returned to the Home Office by the individual Home Office project licence holders, and were not collated centrally. The information for this period could, therefore, only be provided at disproportionate cost. We can, however, provide data on the numbers and species of animals involved in experiments from 1980 to 1996, shown in the table below.

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Year	Dog	Guinea Pig	Hamster	Horse	Mouse	Pig	Rabbit	Rat	Goat	Sheep	Cattle	Chick	Non-human primate	(24)Other	Total
1980	49	8,012	0	0	5,318	74	469	3,619	0	28	0	0	199	3	17,771
1981	90	7,078	0	0	7,916	90	207	1,670	0	20	0	0	137	15	17,223
1982	193	7,718	0	0	3,783	71	204	1,107	0	28	0	0	145	181	13,430
1983	167	6,488	0	0	952	75	135	1,249	0	71	0	0	186	148	9,471
1984	99	4,833	0	0	2,530	93	172	2,529	0	100	0	0	277	274	10,907
1985	57	2,007	0	0	2,098	55	186	1,760	0	105	0	0	269	40	6,577
1986	31	598	0	0	1,461	40	282	3,690	0	47	0	0	249	0	6,398
1987	8	393	0	7	1,719	25	239	5,602	0	186	0	0	117	11	8,307
1988	0	1,024	0	1	962	11	194	5,681	0	87	1	0	164	6	8,131
1989	4	804	0	0	1,570	54	151	6,275	0	92	1	0	64	2	9,017
1990	0	670	0	50	2,070	86	126	4,827	70	113	0	1	80	0	8,093
1991	0	306	0	46	1,148	102	133	4,190	0	120	1	2	31	0	6,079
1992	0	231	0	44	1,319	132	132	2,472	0	105	0	1	72	0	4,506
1993	0	354	0	16	3,069	109	136	2,907	0	70	0	0	36	0	6,697
1994	0	364	0	0	4,946	102	16	1,898	0	73	0	0	17	0	7,416
1995	0	495	0	0	6,706	48	39	1,406	0	36	0	0	17	0	8,747
1996	0	792	42	0	7,701	48	19	2,428	0	53	0	0	14	0	11,097

(24) Includes animals not normally returned as species, e.g. ferrets and gerbils.

Note:

Numbers of procedures carried out on animals from 1980 to 1996, by species and year, as returned to the Home Office by CBD Sector.

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The current legislative requirements governing the use of animals in scientific experiments, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, came into effect in 1986. Prior to this date all non-human primates were returned to the Home Office as "monkeys". Therefore, for the period 1986-96, we have incorporated the figures for Rhesus monkeys and marmosets into "non-human primates" for comparative purposes.

As far as the categories of experiments are concerned, it is the auspices of this Act that the categories are defined on individual project licences; prior to 1986 they were classified in a different manner. The Home Office does not require the numbers of procedures returned annually to be related to the categories stated on individual project licences. We do not, therefore, have these figures readily available and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

I hope that the information we have been able to provide is helpful.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors underlie the increase in the numbers of animal experiments carried out at Porton Down between 1992 to 1997; and if he will make it his policy to review the range of experiments undertaken with a view to reducing their number [17921]

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Mr. Spellar [holding answer 28 November 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone) on 25 November 1997, Official Report, column 500.

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