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Animal Experiments

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Caroline Flint): I wish to announce that the 2002 statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain will be published as a Command Paper on 18 July. Copies will be placed in the House Library in the usual way.

The number of scientific procedures licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and started in 2002 was just over 2.73 million, a rise of about 110,000 (4.2 per cent.) on 2001. This increase is not seen as beyond the bounds of normal year-on-year fluctuations, and the Government have no anxieties or concerns arising from the detail of the statistics.

A familiar pattern is evident. Mice, rats and other rodents were used in the majority of procedures—84 per cent. of the total. Most of the remainder used birds (5 per cent. of all procedures), and fish (7 per cent.). Dogs,

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cats, horses and non-human primates, afforded special protection by the Act, were collectively used in fewer than 1 per cent. of the procedures.

There was a slight decrease in the proportion of procedures using genetically normal animals (65 per cent. as against 67 per cent. in 2001), and a small increase in the proportion of procedures using those which had been genetically modified (26 per cent. as against 24 per cent. in 2001). This continues a trend apparent in recent years, though the variations are on this occasion minimal. It is worth recording that only one in three of all the recorded procedures involving genetically modified animals were for purposes other than breeding.

Non-toxicological procedures accounted for about 82 per cent. of those carried out in 2002, with the main areas of use being for immunological studies and pharmaceutical research and development. Of the procedures for toxicological purposes, 61 per cent. were for pharmacological safety and efficacy studies, and most were performed to conform with regulatory requirements.

About 40 per cent. of all procedures used some form of anaesthesia to alleviate the severity of the interventions. For many of the remaining procedures the use of anaesthesia would have increased the animal welfare cost of the procedure. Over 99 per cent. of procedures carried out on animals listed in Schedule 2 of the 1986 Act involved use of animals acquired from designated sources in the United Kingdom.

I should point out in relation to the statistics that the Home Office, as regulatory authority under the 1986 Act, has no control over the overall amount of animal research and testing which takes place. We do nevertheless ensure, in carrying out our licensing function, that the provisions of the Act are rigorously applied in each programme of work. In particular we always insist in every case upon full application of the 3Rs—replacement of animals where possible, and where they must be used, reduction to a minimum of their numbers and refinement of the procedures to minimise suffering. To that end, all licence applications are carefully assessed by the professional Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, who then closely monitor work in progress to ensure compliance with licence authorities, and with the related codes of practice concerning standards of care and accommodation for the animals.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Advisory Group to the Employer Task Force on Pensions

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith): I am pleased to announce membership for the advisory group to the Employer Task Force on Pensions today, as set out below. The

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role of the advisory group is to provide the Employer Task Force with access to experience and expertise from key organisations with an interest in pensions.

Member	Organisation
Sir Peter Davis Chairman of Employer Task Force and Advisory Body	Employer Task Force Chairman Chief Executive J Sainsburys plc
Duncan Brown Assistant Director General	Chartered Institute of Personnel Development
Kay Carberry Assistant General Secretary	Trade Union Congress
George Cox Director General	Institute of Directors
John Cridland Deputy Director General	CBI
Donald Duval President	The Society of Pensions Consultants
Carl Emmerson Programme Director	Institute of Fiscal Studies
Christine Famish Chief Executive	National Association of Pension Funds
Mick Folger Director, Conduct of Business Standards	Financial Services Authority
Mary Francis Director General	Association of British Insurers
Tony Hobman Chief Executive	OPRA
Ed Mayo Chief Executive	National Consumer Council
David Pollard Chairman	Association of PensionLawyers
Gordon Pollock Chairman	Association of ConsultingActuaries
Richard Saunders Chief Executive	Investment ManagementAssociation

Footnote: Additional Members may be invited to join the advisory group, if appropriate.

Disabled People

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith): The New Deal for Disabled People will be extended for a further two years to 31 March 2006. All existing Job Brokers will have the opportunity to participate in this extended programme, but they will be required to meet the new standards of performance and conform to a revised service design that builds on best practice under the existing programme and emerging lessons from the evaluation and experience under other similar programmes including Employment Zones.

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Job Brokers will be expected to develop rigorous and appropriate back to work plans to support individuals in return for an initial £300 payment for the registration of new customers. We will also be bringing the sustained outcome payments into line with other programmes by making payments after individuals have been in work for 13 weeks and not 26 weeks as currently. Job Brokers will still be expected, however, to provide ongoing support over at least the first 6 months of employment and we will review the effectiveness of their arrangements through our contract management system and through the evaluation of the programme.

To participate in this extension Job Brokers will need to demonstrate that they can meet challenging performance targets, in particular in moving people into work. Those Brokers who can demonstrate an ability to meet high levels of performance will have the opportunity to expand their services; and at the same time we will be offering limited, geographically focused opportunities for new providers to enter the programme. Further details about the terms on which extended contracts will be let and upon which new providers might be able to deliver services will be published in the autumn.

DEFENCE

Training Group Defence Agency

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Ivor Caplin): The Commander-in-Chief, Royal Air Force Personnel and Training Command has set the Chief Executive of the Training Group Defence Agency the following targets for Financial Year 2003–04:

Key Target 1a:

Training Output—Quantity of Output (Ab Initio Flying Training)

To train the required number of aircrew of the three Services to standards for entry to Royal Air Force and Royal Navy operational conversion unit training, the Defence Helicopter Flying School and other specialist flying training courses.

Fast-Jet Pilots	67
Multi-Engine Pilots	62
Rotary Wing Pilots	37
Fast-Jet Weapons
Systems Operators	28
Multi-Engine Weapons
Systems Operators	9
Rotary Wing Weapons
Systems Operators	5
Non-Commissioned
Aircrew	103
Total	311

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Key Target 1b:

Training Output—Quantity of Output (Ab Initio Ground Training)

To train the detailed number of military personnel to the standards required to undertake ground appointments.

Officer Initial Specialist
Training	339
Airman Initial Specialist
Training	2,504
Total	2,843

Key Target 2a:

Training Output—Quantity of Output—Training Places (Flying)

To train aircrew of the three Services to standards for entry to the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy operational conversion unit training, the Defence Helicopter Flying School and other specialist flying training courses, as well as providing training places for international students.

Flying Training Courses—RN	202
Flying Training Courses—Army	374
RAF Flying Instructor Courses	150
RAF Refresher & Orientation
Courses	170
RAF Specialist & Operational
Courses	240
Flying Training (International)	92
Total1	1,228

Key Target 2b:

Training Output—Quantity of Output—Training Places (Ground)

To train military personnel to the standards required to undertake ground appointments.

Pre-Employment Training	16,029
Career Development
Training	6,562
Total	22,591

Key Target 3:

Quality of Output

To underpin the military effectiveness of the Royal Air Force by the timely provision of military personnel trained to the standards agreed with the Agency's customers.

Key Target 4:

Cost Management

To ensure that the necessary systems are in place to manage the business on an output-cost basis.

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Key Target 5:

Efficiency

To reduce the average per capita cost of initial training measured as a cumulative improvement on 2000–02 costs.

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