BUAV warns John Prescott not to break the law over
Cambridge monkey lab

Following the BUAV's shocking undercover exposé of horrific monkey brain
experiments at Cambridge University, public and political attention is now
focused on the University's appeal against South Cambridgeshire District
Council's rejection of planning permission to expand the primate research
centre. 

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has taken over control of local
government and regional policy since the recent cabinet reshuffle, so
ultimate responsibility for Cambridge University's appeal lies with him. He
has the option of "recovering" the appeal from the designated planning
Inspector - in other words, deciding the fate of the appeal personally
rather than leaving it to the quasi-independent planning Inspectorate.

The BUAV has written urgently to John Prescott today advising him that in
light of recent developments, including direct intervention by both the
Prime Minster and Science Minister Lord Sainsbury, any decision to decide
the planning appeal himself would be inappropriate and unlawful.

After taking legal advice, the BUAV maintains that a recovery decision
allowing the appeal would inevitably be infected by bias or the appearance
of bias and that as a result the appeal process would be in breach of
Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to a fair
hearing).

Government intervention
*    On 23rd May 2002, in his high profile speech to the Royal Society,
the Prime Minister specifically signalled his support for the planning
application. No government minister is likely to go against what the Prime
Minister has made it clear he wants. Any decision by Mr Prescott on the
appeal would therefore have at least the appearance of bias, which would be
enough to condemn it in legal terms.
*  In April 2001 Lord Sainsbury openly supported the proposal in a
letter to the University's vice-chancellor, in which he declared the plans
were in the "national interest". The letter was clearly designed to convey
the message that the Government wanted the application to be granted. This
was an extraordinary - and we believe wholly improper - intervention by a
government minister in the planning process.
*    Cambridge University's solicitors have declared that they want Mr
Prescott to decide the case - this is significant as it clearly indicates
that the University calculates this to be its best chance of succeeding.

BUAV Campaigns Director, Wendy Higgins, said:
"The government has long since declared its support for vivisection, but
this is about obeying the law. The BUAV's investigation inside the Cambridge
lab has raised important ethical, scientific, political and legal questions
about the use of monkeys in research, the way animal experiments are
regulated and the part that the Home Office plays in misleading the public
about animal suffering in UK labs. There has already been a huge amount of
local opposition to the planning application, and with such a controversial
background, it would be truly unforgivable for John Prescott to do anything
other than hand the decision over to an Inspector. If he doesn't, we believe
he would be breaking the law ."


1.    The University has applied to expand its monkey research facility on
land at 307 Huntingdon Road, Girton, Cambridge
2.    The University's planning application was submitted September 2000 -
permission refused on grounds that site is on Green Belt land, 3 January
2001; University made another application on 13 July 2001 - refused on
grounds that the site was unsuitable given the likely protests  27 February
2002; University launched latest appeal to the Secretary of State  May 2002.

3.    The BUAV launched its undercover exposé of monkey brain experiments
at Cambridge University on Thursday 23rd May. Further details and pictures
available from the BUAV.


Get Active
Please write urgent letters to John Prescott urging him not to decide
Cambridge University's planning appeal himself as it would be inappropriate
and unlawful to do so. Your letters to Mr Prescott should be sent to the
following address:
Rt Hon John Prescott MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Whitehall
London SW1

A copy of the BUAV's letter to Mr Prescott can be found on the
BUAV's website by visiting www.buav.org and entering the Cutting Edge
mini-site through the homepage.
<<Prescott (letter).rtf>>

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