asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of vivisection.

The law relating to the performance of experiments on living animals, as contained in the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.The cost of animal experiments that arise in the course of the diagnostic and research work of my Department forms part of the total cost of that work and is not separately identifiable. The same is true of work commissioned by the Ministry with external contractors.