Primate Experiments

 Narratives of licenses for procedures of substantial severity

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force at the beginning of 2005. We therefore asked the Home Office for copies of the licenses for procedures on primates of substantial severity. Not surprisingly, there were a number of exemptions which meant that they could not be released in full. Instead the Home Office provided 'redacted', i.e. selectively editted, versions. We include these license narratives below.

We also include the cover letter sent by the Home Office to Naturewatch which outlines the issues which they faced. We were aware of some of these during the months that followed our initial request, which led to our meeting three of the civil servants involved at the end of July.

Different research groups reacted in entirely different ways to the request. For example, the second narrative in the list, PPN & stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease, gives a commendable amount of detail: the research group is to be congratulated for participating so willingly in the process of greater openness and transparency. By contrast, the third narrative is produced by a team who couldn't even bring themselves to give theirs a proper title. We may conclude that it was this group that threatened legal action if more detail was revealed. It's enough to make one feel sympathy for the Home Office...

Throughout this process we have been aware of the need to encourage greater openness and transparency, which would facilitate greater public debate about animal experiments. We therefore realised that there are ways to respond to this openness which would actually be counter-productive and would reverse the process. Thus, we present the narratives without further comment.

Cover letter from the Home Office to Naturewatch

Efficacy of vaccines and therapies for an infectious disease

PPN & stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease

The title of the project summarised the area of study

Anti-Parkinsonian therapy in MPTP-treated marmosets

Efficacy of therapeutics and vaccines.

The letter and the licenses have been scanned in from the originals; the format may be slightly different but the content is the same.

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