The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
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T h e e t h i c s o f r e s e a r c h i n v o l v i n g a n i m a l s<br />
Box 13.4: <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong> Act 2000 and its bearing <strong>on</strong> informati<strong>on</strong> about<br />
animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
In 1997, the Government issued the White Paper Your<br />
Right to Know which led to the Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong><br />
Act 2000 (FoI Act). <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> FoI Act creates a statutory right <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
access to informati<strong>on</strong> held by public bodies (a definiti<strong>on</strong><br />
that includes the Home Office, universities and publicly<br />
funded <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> institutes), provides for a more extensive<br />
scheme for making informati<strong>on</strong> publicly available and<br />
covers a much wider range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> public authorities than<br />
previous legislati<strong>on</strong>, including: local government, NHS<br />
bodies, schools and colleges, universities, the police and<br />
other public bodies and <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fices.* <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Act enshrines in law<br />
the general right <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> access to (n<strong>on</strong>-classified) informati<strong>on</strong><br />
held by public authorities.† From 1 January 2005<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> must be disclosed in resp<strong>on</strong>se to any such<br />
requests made under the FoI Act.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are also a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> exempti<strong>on</strong>s from the<br />
requirement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disclosure, the most relevant <strong>on</strong>es being<br />
for vexatious or repeated requests, where the cost <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
providing the informati<strong>on</strong> would be excessive,<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> provided in c<strong>on</strong>fidence, informati<strong>on</strong><br />
relating to the development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> government policy,<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> which, if disclosed, might endanger the<br />
health or safety <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> any individual, informati<strong>on</strong> that<br />
c<strong>on</strong>stitutes pers<strong>on</strong>al data under the Data Protecti<strong>on</strong> Act<br />
and informati<strong>on</strong> that, if disclosed, might prejudice<br />
commercial interests. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se exempti<strong>on</strong>s are disputed by<br />
those who argue that they prevent them finding out<br />
sufficient informati<strong>on</strong> about licence applicati<strong>on</strong>s and<br />
the results <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cost-benefit assessments.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> implementati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the new Act with regard to<br />
animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> may not be straightforward. Reas<strong>on</strong>s<br />
cited by stakeholders include:†‡<br />
■ c<strong>on</strong>cerns about further increases in the level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
bureaucracy already required for complying with the<br />
provisi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the A(SP)A;<br />
■ c<strong>on</strong>cerns about c<strong>on</strong>fidentiality <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>ers and<br />
targeting by those who use unlawful forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> protest;<br />
■ c<strong>on</strong>cerns about disclosed informati<strong>on</strong> being<br />
misinterpreted or misrepresented; and<br />
■ the Home Office could be required to make decisi<strong>on</strong>s<br />
about how commercial c<strong>on</strong>fidentiality applies to<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> it holds that relates to commercial<br />
companies.<br />
Developments in policy<br />
It is difficult to predict the likely scale <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong><br />
requests that <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> establishments might receive, and<br />
what kind <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> informati<strong>on</strong> may have to be disclosed. It may<br />
depend <strong>on</strong> the type <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> instituti<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> being<br />
undertaken and how well-known a particular institute is<br />
(as it is expected that the more well-known instituti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
might receive more requests for informati<strong>on</strong>). Before the<br />
FoI Act entered into force, details <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ten project licences<br />
had been released by the Home Office to the BUAV,<br />
under a Code <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Practice that preceded the full FoI Act.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> licence applicati<strong>on</strong>s were an<strong>on</strong>ymised and the<br />
instituti<strong>on</strong>s involved were not revealed. Details <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />
purpose <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>, the number and type <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
to be used and the procedures were included.‡∫ In 2005,<br />
the Home Office published the first details <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> project<br />
licences granted under the A(SP)A in ‘a c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to<br />
greater openness and to c<strong>on</strong>tribute to greater public<br />
understanding and debate about the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in<br />
science and how it is regulated’. Abstracts for several<br />
projects, written by licence holders, have so far been<br />
published <strong>on</strong> the Home Office website. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Home Office<br />
has announced its future intenti<strong>on</strong> to publish details <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> all<br />
new licence applicati<strong>on</strong>s in this way.** However, those<br />
who would like to find out more informati<strong>on</strong> regarding<br />
the way the cost-benefit assessment is applied c<strong>on</strong>sider<br />
that these licences abstracts provide insufficient details.<br />
We c<strong>on</strong>sider the questi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> openness further in<br />
paragraphs 15.35–15.36.<br />
* <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> FoI Act applies to all recorded informati<strong>on</strong> held by<br />
public authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland<br />
and cross-border public authorities. Scotland is covered by a<br />
separate act (Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong> (Scotland) Act 2002).<br />
† HMSO (2000) Explanatory Notes to Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong><br />
Act 2000, available at: http://<br />
www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/en2000/2000en36.htm. Accessed <strong>on</strong>:<br />
4 May 2005; Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong> Act 2000 available at:<br />
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm.<br />
Accessed <strong>on</strong>: 4 May 2005.<br />
‡ LASA (2004) Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Forum 1(3).<br />
13.29 Since the full implementati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the A(SP)A, a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> changes in the regulatory system<br />
have been introduced as a matter <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> government policy. In the early 1990s, training<br />
requirements for all new applicants for pers<strong>on</strong>al and project licences were instituted. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Home Office issued a policy statement to make clear that the successful completi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
training modules was viewed as necessary in order to meet the requirement in the A(SP)A<br />
that licence holders have ‘appropriate educati<strong>on</strong> and training’.<br />
13.30 In 1997, the Home Office effectively ruled out certain types <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>: the toxicity<br />
testing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cosmetics and (in 1998) their ingredients, alcohol products or tobacco products. 28<br />
∫<br />
Festing S (2004) Freedom <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Informati<strong>on</strong> Act deadline looms<br />
RDS News Autumn 2004.<br />
** Home Office (2005) Animal Procedures: Licence abstracts,<br />
available at: http://<br />
www.home<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fice.gov.uk/comrace/<str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>/abstracts.html.<br />
Accessed <strong>on</strong>: 4 May 2005.<br />
CHAPTER 13 LEGISLATION, REGULATION AND POLICY RELATING TO SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES<br />
28 House <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Lords Select Committee <strong>on</strong> Animals in Scientific Procedures (2002) Animals in Scientific Procedures, Chapter 1;<br />
Guidance <strong>on</strong> the Operati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the A(SP)A 1986, Chapter 5, available at: http://www.archive.<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficialdocuments.co.uk/document/hoc/321/321.htm.<br />
Accessed <strong>on</strong>: 4 May 2005.<br />
231