Animal Experiments
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to align the categorisation of service project licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 with terminology used in the EU regulatory framework, including licences for multiple generic projects.
Answered by Sarah Jones
The term ‘service licence’ is not a distinct legal category under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). All such licences are project licences, which authorise a defined programme of work.
The term ‘service licence’ is used informally by the Home Office and stakeholders to describe a subset of project licences which authorise multiple generic projects under section 5(4) of ASPA (transposing Article 40(4) of Directive 2010/63/EU). These licences typically cover standardised, repeat-use activities, such as regulatory safety testing, production work or the supply of tissues. The published Guidance on the Operation of ASPA provides clarity on multiple generic projects at p.49: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-animals-scientific-procedures-act-1986.
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