Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 June 2012
895 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he will consult with the Bioethics Unit in his Department regarding the transposition of EU Directives regarding animal experimentation policy; and the reason this has not already taken place [26643/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Bioethics Unit advises on a number of issues across various policy areas in my Department, including the protection of animals for scientific purposes. The Bioethics Unit has engaged with and will continue to engage with officials in my Department who have been assigned the task of transposing Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of such animals. Directive 2010/63/EU will be transposed into Irish law by the end of the year and the improved protections for animals set out in the Directive will take effect from 1 January 2013.
896 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views regarding the issuing of licences for certificate G experiments and if he will respond to an organisation (details supplied) who have raised a number of serious concerns with him on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26644/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraBefore I address the specific question tabled by the Deputy, I should at the outset advise the House that my Department will, before the end of the year, transpose Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The new Directive will, when transposed in Ireland and other Members States, ensure that Europe will have the highest standards of experimental animal welfare in the world.
The new Directive strongly promotes the principles of the three Rs (replacement of the use of animals to the greatest extent possible with alternative testing methods, refinement of scientific procedures to improve animal welfare and reduction in numbers of animals used). The provisions of the new Directive also strengthen the protection of animals still needed for research and safety testing. Significant changes in this regard are requirements to perform ethical evaluations prior to authorisation of projects using animals and higher standards of care and accommodation. These new measures will apply from 2013 and , from that date onwards, the existing certification process will no longer operate.
On the specific matter raised by the Deputy, it is the case that that in a very limited number of occasions, it has been necessary to issue "G" certificates on that basis that the project was of sufficient importance for meeting the essential needs of human beings or animals. In this context,t here are two current licences with "G" certificates. They relate to the same project and the aim of that project is to develop substances to improve neuromuscular transmission for therapeutic purposes.
