Home Office confirms Imperial has appropriately addressed compliance issues

Imperial's Provost has today written to staff, funders and other stakeholders to provide an update on developments in animal research at the College.

Provost Professor James Stirling’s message said that the Home Office has confirmed that Imperial has now appropriately addressed all the requirements of the compliance notices served after its investigation into the College, which took place alongside the Brown review, an independent review commissioned by the College.

He explained a change in the College’s animal research governance which sees Imperial’s Establishment Licence Holder (ELH) stepping down from holding this responsibility with effect from Wednesday 9 July 2014. The Provost noted that the College is grateful for his leadership during a period of significant change and for his handling of responsibilities as ELH.

Imperial has recognised that the Animals in Science Committee (ASC) report published last week offered cause for concern in its critical comments about Home Office processes, including those in relation to the College. Ministers need to be entirely confident in internal and external procedures and processes pertaining to the Home Office. It is in line with this that the ELH agreed to step down.

While the College takes a short period of reflection over the choice of a replacement before making a nomination to the Home Office, the Provost confirmed  that he has been appointed as Imperial’s interim ELH.

The Provost acknowledged that this had been a difficult period for Imperial and all of the College’s staff and students involved in these issues. The College recognises past shortcomings in its governance and organisation of animal research. It has committed to and made a substantial investment in addressing the issues identified in the Brown review.

In the five months since it published its Action Plan in response to the Brown Review recommendations, Imperial has revised its governance structure, improved its ethical review process, strengthened support for operational management and put in place better systems for training and sharing good practice through stronger communications. Further detail on the College’s substantial progress with implementing the plan was published last week.

 “I am pleased to note that significant progress has already been made by ICL in addressing the matters identified,” said the Minister of State for Crime Prevention, Norman Baker, in his statement on Scientific Procedures on Living Animals earlier today.

“The College remains committed to bringing about the culture change required to position ourselves as a leading institution for animal care and husbandry as well as for research”, said Professor Stirling. “We are keen to continue playing our part within the broader animal research community to share our experiences and what can be learnt from them with other licensed establishments. We are also grateful for the support and guidance we have had and continue to receive from this broader community for the changes we are putting in place.”