To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 268W, what recent representations she has received on breeding of long-tailed macaques for research in Cambodia, with particular reference to the Vanny Bio-Research Centre. (274143)

We received representations from the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) on the 24 November 2008 and responded on 16 December 2008. We have received no requests from establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to acquire animals from the centre or to accept it as a source of non-human primates. Should we receive such a request, we would need to be satisfied that conditions at the centre were acceptable before giving approval.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on breeding of long-tailed macaques in Indonesia for animal research in the UK; and what her Department’s policy on the matter is. (274386)

We have received no formal representations relating to the breeding of long-tailed macaques in Indonesia for animal research in the UK. The acquisition of non-human primates from overseas sources for use in procedures authorised under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires prior approval which is only given if the conditions at the breeding centre are acceptable to the Home Office at the time. Any request to acquire non-human primates from Indonesia would have to satisfy these requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has (a) approved and (b) inspected primate supply centres in Indonesia as overseas primate supply and breeding facilities to export primates to the UK for the purposes of scientific research in the last 12 months. (274387)

No.