 | 'Brown himself is Scottish and the Labor (sic) Party, which has long viewed Scotland as a fief, has counted heavily on its Scottish seats to cement its majority in general elections.' John F. Burns and Alan Cowell in the International Herald Tribune, 25 th July 2008. |  |
The Scottish National Party winner of the Glasgow East by-election, John Mason, has made a commitment to promote his constituency as a centre for non-animal research.
He made the pledge in response to a British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) survey sent to all the candidates before the election.
Mr Mason was asked if he agreed with statements including; that more should be done to reverse the increasing trend of using animals, that it is not justifiable to cause substantial suffering to any animal in the laboratory, that the Freedom of Information Act should be fully implemented regarding animal testing and that Scotland should lead the way in supporting alternative methods of research.
The new MP agreed with all of these statements. In addition, he made three significant commitments. These are to proactively promote Glasgow East as a centre for non-animal research, to make his constituency office Ôcruelty freeÕ by insisting on cleaning products that have not been tested on animals, and to sign an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to ban animal experiments for household products.
All six of the SNPÕs other Westminster MPs have signed EDM 1215, which calls for the UK government to ban the use of animals to test household products, such as floor cleaners or washing up liquid. In total 171 cross-party MPs have signed the EDM.
The licensing of animal experiments is not a devolved matter for Scotland, as all licenses are approved by central Government. However, Mr Mason told the BUAV he agrees that Scotland should have control over issuing licenses.
Scotland carries a disproportionate amount of animal testing in the UK. In 2006, tests north of the border made up 14 per cent of the UK's three million procedures - even though Scots make up only around eight per cent of the total population (1). The majority of the public want to see their politicians supporting measures to bring these numbers down.
The BUAV Chief Executive, Michelle Thew, says ÒWe welcome these statements of commitment from the new MP for Glasgow East. Politicians need to listen to the majority of the public, who are concerned about animal testing. In Scotland, there is a higher level of animal experiments than south of the border, and the BUAV welcomes the opportunity to work with John Mason on the animal testing issueÓ.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For further information please contact the BUAV press office.
The Chief Executive, Michelle Thew, is available for interview.
1. Figures based on the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2006 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/spanimals06.pdf) and broken down following a written parliamentary question from Katy Clark MP. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080107/text/80107w0052.htm#08010864002992
The three by-election candidates who responded to the BUAV survey were John Mason (SNP), Margaret Curran (Labour) and Eileen Duke (Green Party)
A Parliamentary EDM tabled by David Drew MP was put down on the 18th March. It reads:
ÒThat this House notes the Government's 1997 policy prohibition on the use of animals to test the safety of cosmetic products and their ingredients, which was said to have been introduced on the basis that the suffering caused was not justified given the nature of the product; notes with regret that the Government has not implemented a similar prohibition on the use of animals to test household products, such as washing-up liquid or floor cleaners, and their ingredients; supports the campaign of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection to end the suffering of animals in tests for household products and their ingredients; and calls on the Government to implement a policy prohibition on issuing licenses to test household products and their ingredients on animals as a matter of urgency.Ó
To view online and check the latest number of signatures click here: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35441&SESSION=891
76% of the British public thinks the Government should, as a matter of principle, prohibit experiments on any live animals which cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm in a TNS national opinion poll commissioned by the BUAV in 2003.
66 per cent of people in the UK would like to live in a world where no-one wants or believes we need to experiment on animals, according to a poll carried out on behalf of the BUAV by independent research group NFP Synergy in 2007 (www.nfpsynergy.com)
The BUAV has been campaigning for over 100 years to achieve a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals. We are committed to achieving our aims through reliable and reasoned evidence-based debate. We are proudly non-violent and respect the quality of life for all Ð animals and people.
For more information contact:
Policy Officer, Dave Powell: 020 7619 6970
Out of hours media mobile: 07850 510 955 / Email: dave.powell@buav.org
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