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28 Apr 2003 : Column 205W—continued
Child Rescue Alert Scheme
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to implement the child rescue alert scheme piloted by Sussex Police nationwide. [109769]
Hilary Benn: The Government are very grateful to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) who sponsored Sussex Police to pilot this scheme. Fortunately, there has not been a case of child abduction in Sussex to test the system, but a number of different forces across the country are now interested in implementing child rescue schemes of their own.
The ACPO Homicide Working Group has now agreed that it should be a locally delivered service with national standards and guidelines, and it will be implemented as soon as possible.
Animal Experiments
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals were used for experiments in 2002; and what plans he has to reduce that number. [108630]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The latest relevant figures are published in "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2001", Cm 5581. A copy has been placed in the Library. These show that in 2001 the number of animals used for the first time in scientific procedures was 2.57 million. This is a reduction on the previous year, and the number of procedures concerned is the lowest since the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 came into force.
Corresponding data for 2002 are currently being collated and analysed, with publication planned for later this year.
Under the 1986 Act the Home Office licenses the use of animals for scientific purposes where there is no non-animal alternative, and then only when both the number of animals and their suffering is minimised. This reflects the principles of the 3Rs—replacement, reduction and refinement.
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As the regulator of the use of live animals in scientific procedures the Home Office is demand-led—it has no control over the number of project licence applications which it receives. While we must seek to minimise the number of animals used in particular programmes of work, the Home Office cannot therefore influence the overall amount of animal research and testing which takes place—that is determined by many other factors, including the economic climate and global trends in scientific endeavour. There are current developments—such as advances in the use that can be made of genetically modified animals—which may lead in coming years to more rather than fewer animals being used overall.
The Government fully support and encourage development and promotion of the 3Rs in a number of ways, and additional impetus has been given to its efforts to that end by the related recommendations recently put forward by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures. This is not, however, an area where quick gains can be expected. In the longer term we must rely for any further significant reduction in animal use largely on the scientific community's own continuing efforts to develop, validate and accept non-animal alternative methods.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Written Statement of 20 January, Official Report, columns 1–2WS, on Animals (Scientific Procedures), when he expects to conclude his Department's consultations with the scientific community with a view to reaching a final decision on possible amendments to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. [108811]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Government's response to the report of the House of Lords Select Committee on animals in scientific procedures, published on 20 January 2003 (Cm 5729), announced plans to publish details of programmes of work authorised under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, subject to safeguards for personal and confidential information and also acknowledged the significant concern within the scientific community about the possible repeal of section 24 of the 1986 Act, the "confidentiality clause". We, therefore, also announced our intention to consult further with scientific stakeholders and animal protection groups about section 24 before reaching final decisions on its future.
As part of this consultation, a joint working group with scientific stakeholders has been set up to look at these issues and met for the first time on 5 March 2003. Separate discussions will be held with animal protection groups. I expect to receive the findings of these discussions in the autumn and to consider the options for the future of section 24 later in the year.
Antisocial Behaviour/Curfew Orders
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) antisocial behaviour orders and (b) curfew orders have been made in the Buckingham constituency since the commencement of the scheme. [108513]
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Hilary Benn : (a) Table A shows the number of notifications received by the Home Office of Anti- Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) issued within Buckinghamshire (in which the Buckingham constituency is situated) and by local government authority up to 30 November 2002 (latest available).
We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made nationally have been under reported in returns made by magistrates' courts and are considering how reporting can be improved.
(b) Table B shows the number of Curfew Orders with electronic monitoring made in the Buckingham constituency from 1999 to 2002.
| Police force area/MCC | From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(45) | From 1 June 2000 to30 November 2002 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley(46) | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Local Government AuthorityCounty of Buckinghamshire | |||
| Aylesbury Vale DC | — | 1 | 1 |
| Milton Keynes BC | — | 3 | 3 |
| Wycombe DC | — | 2 | 2 |
(45) Total figure only available for Thames Valley police force area within this period. Local Government Authority not known.
(46) Includes total figure for countries of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
— Not available
| Year | Adult | Juvenile |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 117 | 0 |
| 2000 | 130 | 9 |
| 2001 | 200 | -7 |
| 2002(47) | 78 | 10 |
| Total | 792 | 37 |
(47) Up to March 2003.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the consultation processes which contributed to the anti-social behaviour White Paper; [107389]
- (2) how many representations he has received on the anti-social behaviour White Paper since its publication; from whom representations were received; and if he will place copies in the Library. [107390]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 8 April 2003]: The White Paper "Respect and Responsibility", published on 12 March, set out the Government's vision for tackling anti-social behaviour.
The White Paper sets out a cross-departmental agenda and draws on a wide range of views expressed by local authorities, voluntary organisations, the police and a variety of practitioners and members of the public up and down the country.
We have received responses to the White Paper both public and informal, and expect to continue to do so.
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We will continue to work closely with local authorities, the police and others to ensure that effective action is taken to deal with anti-social behaviour.
Crime and Disorder Act
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many council and housing association residents have been evicted from their homes as a result of powers under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [106555]
Mr. McNulty: There are no powers to take possession action against social housing tenants in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Provisions for possession actions against social tenants are contained in the 1985, 1988 and 1996 Housing Acts. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently liaising with the Court Service to obtain a breakdown of the data collected on the number of possession actions and evictions.
Behavioural Neuroscience
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the facilities will be for the accommodation and environmental enrichment of non-human primates at Cambridge University's proposed Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience; and if he will make a statement; [108731]
- (2) if he will list the types of research that Cambridge University plans to conduct at the proposed Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience; and if he will make a statement; [108733]
(3) how the need for the Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at Cambridge University was decided; whether a cost-benefit analysis was used; and if he will make a statement. [108732]
Ms Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
The Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Cambridge won an open competition for a share of the £750 million Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF). 150 bids from across the UK and across a wide range of scientific disciplines were successful. Cost benefit analysis was not part of the review process; rather, all bids to the fund were reviewed by an international panel of experts on the basis of scientific excellence. The Cambridge neuroscience project was judged to be one of the best in the biosciences field. The announcement of the JIF award to the Cambridge project was made in a joint HEFCE-OST-Wellcome Trust press notice on 7 December 1999. For details of this announcement see: http://www.gnn.gov.uk/gnn/national.nsf
The Centre has not yet been built and is still going through the planning programme. Ensuring that both the housing and the environment of the animals is of the highest quality is integral to the planning. The UK also has one of the most stringent regimes in the world for regulating animal research; animals can only be used in scientific procedures licensed by the Home Office under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The care and welfare of animals is closely regulated by this Act and Centres are routinely inspected to ensure that animals are treated humanely. This combination of
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planning and regulation will ensure that the Centre will operate under conditions providing the highest modern standards of animal welfare.
Once complete, the Centre will improve the facilities for outstanding teams of researchers to carry out research into the causes and treatments of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Primates are an essential part of the work, as much of what we understand about the human brain derives from primate research. The exact nature of the research will depend on what type of research grants are obtained, but is likely to include non-invasive forms of brain imaging and behavioural testing of functions such as memory.
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