Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

21 Guidance, codes of practice and statistics

(1) The Secretary of State shall publish information to serve as guidance with respect to the manner in which he proposes to exercise his power to grant licences and certificates under this Act and with respect to the conditions which he proposes to include in such licences and certificates.

(3) The Secretary of State shall consult the Animal Procedures Committee before publishing or altering any information under subsection (1) above or issuing, approving, altering or approving any alteration in any code issued or approved under subsection (2) above.

(4) A failure on the part of any person to comply with any provision of a code issued or approved under subsection (2) above shall not of itself render that person liable to criminal or civil proceedings but—

(a) any such code shall be admissible in evidence in any such proceedings; and

(b) if any of its provisions appears to the court conducting the proceedings to be relevant to any question arising in the proceedings it shall be taken into account in determining that question.

(5) The Secretary of State shall lay before Parliament—

(a) copies of any information published or code issued by him under subsection (1) or (2) above and of any alteration made by him in any such information or code; and

(b) copies of any code approved by him under subsection (2) above and of any alteration approved by him in any such code;

and if either House of Parliament passes a resolution requiring the information, code or alteration mentioned in paragraph (a) above, or the approval mentioned in paragraph (b) above, to be withdrawn the Secretary of State shall withdraw it accordingly ; and where he withdraws information published or a code issued by him or his approval of a code he shall publish information or issue or approve a code, as the case may be, in substitution for the information or code previously published, issued or approved.

(6) No resolution shall be passed by either House under subsection (5) above in respect of any information, code or alteration after the end of the period of forty days beginning with the day on which a copy of the information, code or alteration was laid before that House; but for the purposes of this subsection no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during which both Houses are adjourned for more than four days.

(7) The Secretary of State shall in each year publish and lay before Parliament such information as he considers appropriate with respect to the use of protected animals in the previous year for experimental or other scientific purposes.