Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he will publish the advice he stated on 3 July 2012 in reply to a previous Parliamentary Question by this Deputy, that he has received from the Department of Health Bioethics Unit regarding transportation of Directive 2010/63/EU relating to animal experimentation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44327/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Bioethics Unit and the Environmental Health Unit in my Department are working together on an on-going basis on the transposition of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and will continue to do so. As both of these Units are within my Department, this engagement is an on an on-going day-to-day basis and this will continue until the transposition is completed. The Directive is required to be transposed into Irish law by November, 2012 and its provisions will take effect from 1 January, 2013.

It would point out to the Deputy that many of the provisions set out in Directive 2010/63/EU are Mandatory. The Directive strongly promotes the principles of the three Rs (replacement of the use of animals to the greatest extent possible with alternative testing methods, refinement of scientific procedures to improve animal welfare and reduction in numbers of animals used). The provisions of the new Directive also strengthen the protection of animals still needed for research and safety testing. Significant changes in this regard are requirements to perform ethical evaluations prior to authorisation of projects using animals and higher standards of care and accommodation.

The European Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said: "it is vital to improve the situation for animals still needed in scientific research and safety testing, whilst maintaining a high standard of research and improving the focus on finding alternative methods to animal testing”. The Commissioner has also affirmed that the European Union will soon have the highest standards of experimental animal welfare in the world. As indicated by the Commissioner, the transposition of Directive 2010/63/EU will considerably enhance the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.