To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) how many animals have been cloned in the United Kingdom for each year since 1996, broken down by species;

(2) how many cloned animals are living in the United Kingdom, broken down by species;

(3) what the cause of death was for animals that have been cloned and then died in the United Kingdom since 1996.

Only a small number of projects are currently licensed by the Home Office under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involving cloning by nucleus transfer for experimental or other scientific purposes. This technology may be used for a number of purposes, including the better understanding of the regulation of gene function and development in relation to cloning; the enabling of some potential therapies, or seeking additional potential therapies when stem cell therapy would not be an option; and to allow some forms of genetic modification not practical or possible by other current methods.

The specific information requested in respect of these projects is not collected centrally, or readily obtainable.

Cloning for other purposes, such as agricultural practice, including by common means such as embryo splitting, is not regulated by the Home Office.