Newcastle University Anything but the truth

Close Newcastle Animal Laboratory Campaigner Jonathon Proctor Requested information under the freedom of information act 2000 from Newcastle university about their animal testing and numbers of animal tests carried out inside Newcastle university.

The 1st decision came back as the following:

Thank you for your request for information received on 16 January 2013.

Question: I request to know does your university carry out animal experiments.
Response: Yes, Newcastle University does use animals in research.

Question:
I request to know how many animals were used in experiments inside Newcastle University between the 1st of January 2012 and 31st December 2012

Response:
We are currently in the process of collating this information for our annual return to the Home Office, but the information is not yet ready. When the return is finalised, these figures will be published on our website on the following page: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/ethics/ani

This information is therefore exempt from disclosure under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, as it is intended for future publication.

We consider that it is reasonable for us to complete this return in line with our planned timetable, and to make the return to the Home Office before publishing the figures.
We anticipate these figures being available shortly after the end of February.

Question:
How many animals were held for use in experiments inside Newcastle University between 1st of January 2012 AND the 31st of December 2012 (if this differs from the above).

Response:
As you will be aware from your previous request on this same topic (http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/an…), the work involved in producing this information would exceed the £450 cost limit set out in the FOI Act and Fees Regulations. We could provide you with a similar explanatory response as last time if you would find this useful.

Question: I request to know what species of animals were used for these experiments.

Response: See our answer to your second question. These figures will include the species of animals.

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request you can ask for an internal review.
Details of how to do this can be found at:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/foi/access/complain…

If you are not happy with the outcome of the internal review, you then have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
Details of how to do this can be found at:
http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedom…

Regards,

Peter Dinsdale
Information Security Officer (Compliance) 

Jonathon then put in an internal review request over the section 22 exemption.
Newcastle University have went to great lengths to hide the publication of information in regards to their animal testing.

Section 22 is only to be used if the university intends to release this information its self we very much doubt this. so appealed the section 22 notice.

So a whitewash internal review was carried out and came back with the following response.

Dear Mr Proctor

I am Newcastle University’s senior officer responsible for conducting reviews relating to Freedom of Information requests, and I have received your formal request for a review of the FOI enquiry you submitted on 16 January 2013 regarding animals used in experiments at Newcastle University during 2012.

In considering this matter, I have taken account of the reply you received from the University’s Information Security Officer, dated 13 February 2013, and your request for review in an email dated 24 February 2013. 

In your email of 24 February you specifically question the response from the Information Security Officer when he said that information on the number of animals used in experiments in 2012 was exempt from disclosure under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act as the data was currently being prepared for publication. I take the view that his reply was entirely appropriate, as he informed you of both the web address and the timescale for publication of the data. Indeed since your request for review, this information has been published at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/ethics/ani….

Although you have not been specific about the other parts of the response to your request that you wish to have reviewed, I note that the following questions were not answered on the basis of the time it would take to provide the information: the number of animals “held for use” in experiments during the course of 2012, the Home Office classification for those experiments and whether the animals were used for medical or non-medical research. 

You asked very similar questions in a previous FOI request in 2012, and asked for a review of the response at that time. I conducted that review and provided a full reply to you on 17 April 2012. As far as these particular questions are concerned I am satisfied that the same circumstances pertain now as then, so I will repeat the appropriate section of my 2012 reply below.

There is a clear difference between the availability and accessibility of information on the number and types of animals used in experiments (which have been published), and the number of animals held for use in experiments and the details of experiments. Information on the number and types of animals used in experiments is recorded centrally and used to provide information, as required, to the Home Office. However, there is no central record in the University of the number of animals “held for use in experiments”, as a number are also kept for breeding purposes and or to provide tissue samples. To identify the number held for use in experiments would require the detailed cross-correlation of animal holding records and the lab books of individual project licence holders to establish the purposes for which individual animals or groups of animals were held.

Details of experiments that have been carried out, and information relating to the classification of those experiments, are also recorded in individual researchers’ lab books. In order to provide the information you have asked for in these questions, it would require each project licence holder to examine their lab records and to report on the details of each experiment. It is estimated that around 1,000 individual studies were carried out in the course of the year, and that it would take approximately ten minutes each for them to be checked and reported. A simple calculation indicates that it would take in excess of 166 hours to compile the information you have requested. On this basis,

I am satisfied that the refusal to provide the information, with reference to Section 12(1) of the Act, is valid.

In summary, I have concluded that the reply provided to you by the University’s Information Security Officer was appropriate, and that his reference to Section 22 and Section 12(1) of the Act were fully justified in relation to the information that was not provided. As I have noted above, the information that was not provided due to the Section 22 exemption has since been published and is now available to you.

Yours sincerely

Wayne Connolly
University Librarian

This response was expected by both jonathon and close Newcastle animal lab campaign  and Jon made a written response as follows  and has submitted a case file to the information commissioners office for investigation 

Response sent:

Dear Wayne Connolly,

I make reference to Newcastle Universities Declaration that your
going to be more open over animal testing and the clear hypocracy
your university is impliing by refusing to divulge information to
me that i have requested.

Point 1

Your university has not previously published details of your animal
testing more over you have went to the high court to try stop the
information from coming out.
Under the freedom of information act 2000 i requested the
information last year (that was given) and this year and your
objection to this years results being given are baseless and
without merit.

I therefore AM going to be taking this case to the information
commissionaire

Point 2.
If your university is going to publish details why not comply with
the law and hand it over as if its going to be published on your
website (somehow i doubt you will) but if you are then surely your
just being obstructive to say the least.

3rd point

The link you provided is not valid link

For Reference of your declaration to be more open can be found:

http://thecourieronline.co.uk/2012/10/uni-signs-form-of-openness-on-animal-testing/

We will continue challenging Newcastle university and will take this all the way to court if Newcastle dose not stop breaking the law.

Get involved with close Newcastle animal lab and join the fight back against Newcastle University

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See you on the streets

Close Newcastle Animal Lab Campaigns Team.