BSC/10/14
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY BIOLOGICAL
STANDARDS COMMITTEE HELD ON MONDAY 4th OCTOBER 2010 AT 4.00PM
242
MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 10th May 2010 (BSC/09/58) were
confirmed as a correct record with one amendment and signed by the
Chair.
243
MATTERS ARISING
243.1
Matters arising S38 Health and
Safety
[
vide Minute 226.2]
NOTED that scanner had been commissioned successfully since the
previous meeting and that plans for reconfiguration of the area had
been sent to the Director of PAFRS.
243.2
Matters arisingS38
arrier Area improvements [
vide Minute 226.7]
Health
and
NOTED that no progress was known to have been made
Safety
.
243.3
Matters arising – environmental alarms testingS38 Health and Safety
vide
Minute 226.8.3/4]
.1
NOTED that alarms were being monitored and tested, and that
a 15-minute response time was being achieved;
RESOLVED
.2
that ESTAT will arrange for alarm tests to be carried out at
three-monthly intervals.
243.4
Matters arising – Universities’ Legal Briefing [
vide Minute 228.2]
.1
NOTED that the security situation surrounding such a document
was currently fluid and under review;
RESOLVED
.2
that the document be brought to a subsequent meeting once
security issues had been settled.
243.5
Matters arising – Biosecurity S38 Health and Safety [
vide Minute 230.2]
NOTED that the ban on animals entering the new facilities still applied
pending successful treatment of the endoparasite infection.
243.6
Matters arising – Decontamination proposals [
vide Minute 231.4]
NOTED that ESTAT were looking at a quotation of £20k for the work
from an experienced operator, and that this would be a one-off
exercise only.
243.7
Matters arising – Environmental control problems in a barrier area [
vide
Minute 233.5]
NOTED that the problem had been diagnosed as being caused by a
sticking valve, and that it would not cause the serious type of result
experienced elsewhere in the University from a valve problem.
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243.8
Matters arising – Refurbishment of S38 Health and
Safety
facility [
vide Minute
234.5]
NOTED that a meeting had been held on 27 September at which a
proposal for a reconfiguration of the entrance arrangements to include
changing facilities had been agreed in principle.
243.9
Matters arising – Project Licence application [
vide Minutes 238.4&5]
NOTED that discussions had taken place between the NVS and the
applicant, but that no subsequent application had been forthcoming.
244
ITEMS FROM THE CHAIR
244.1
Committee membership
NOTED
.1
that both the non-NACWO representative and the graduate
students’ representative had resigned from the Committee, in
both cases because promotions had rendered them ineligible
for their positions;
.2
that nominations for new representatives in these positions
would be sought;
RESOLVED
.3
that the two representatives be thanked for their contributions
to the Committee and to the ethical review process.
244.2
3Rs reports
NOTED that items included in the regular 3Rs reports demonstrated the
breadth of endeavour put into developing improvements to animal
welfare across the University by project licence holders, and that the
reports were welcomed by the Committee.
245
ITEMS FROM THE CERTIFICATE HOLDER
Received paper BSC/10/02 “Summary of FoI Disclosures”.
Visit to facilities
245.1
NOTED that since the last meeting, the Certificate Holder had made a
tour of all non-barrier facilities and had been impressed by the high
standards of care that were apparent.
245.2
Requests under the Freedom of Information Act
NOTED
.1
that five requests had been made in 2010, one from a
journalist and the remainder from animal rights
activist/campaigners. All so far had been responded to within
the allowed 20 days, and that a further response was in
preparation;
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BSC/10/14
.2
that there is a legal obligation to respond, even if no
information can be given, and that the University has
requested clarification from the requestor where necessary;
.3
that whilst the University acknowledges its duty under the Act
to explain what it does to the public, it cannot supply such
information that might endanger its staff or students;
.4
that one request had been refused by the University, and that
an appeal had subsequently been lodged by the requestor.
246
REPORT FROM THE BIOLOGICAL STANDARDS OFFICER
Received papers BSC/10/03 “Licensing Report” and oral reports.
246.1
Visits by the Home Office Inspector
NOTED
.1
that there had been four visits from the inspector since the
last meeting;
.2
that the inspector had met with a number of Project Licence
holders and applicants, and had inspected most of the facilities
over the visits;
.3
that the inspector had telephoned the Certificate Holder
following one visit on the matter of drugs storage;
.4
that during one inspection, the inspector had asked for two
procedure rooms within S38 Health and Safety
to be temporarily
de-designated after rainwater ingress;
.5
that the inspector had seen the new, larger pigeon
accommodation in use, and had welcomed the development.
246.2
Changes to the Certificate of Designation
NOTED
.1
that the designation of a surgery ante-room had been amended
to allow procedures for a specific protocol to be carried out
there;.
.2
that two procedure rooms within a user school had been
temporarily de-designated after rainwater ingress;
.3
that changes in the JBIOS staff structure have required two
new NACWOs to be added to the certificate.
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246.3
Licensing Report
NOTED
.1
that since the last meeting, the Certificate Holder’s Advisory
Group had recommended three applications for amendments to
existing project licences and three applications for
continuation project licences;
.2
that a simple administrative change to a project licence that
includes a species of special concern had been dealt with by
Chair’s action to avoid undue delay.
247
REPORT FROM THE NAMED VETERINARY SURGEON
Received paper BSC/10/04 “NVS Report for BSC”.
NOTED
247.1
that JBIOS staff were repeating the decontamination exercise against
parvo-virus in one room atS38 Health and Safety facility, under the NVS’s
guidance, and that access restrictions still apply;
247.2
that embryo importation is difficult from the senders’ end in many
cases, as they do not have access to the necessary technology;
247.3
that there was a demand for a quarantine facility in the University,
although it was acknowledged that the financial costs would be likely
to be high;
RESOLVED
247.4
that S38 Health and Safety users would produce a report for the Committee
on the need for a quarantine facility.
248
REPORT FROM THE OPERATIONAL DIRECTOR OF JBIOS FACILITIES
Received paper BSC/10/05 from the Operational Director of JBIOS
Facilities.
NOTED
248.1
that progress continued to be made in developing the JBIOS staffing
structure, with several appointments being made, and that staff
development continued;
248.2
that the construction of hosing facilities for large cages at S38 Health and Safety
S38 Health and Safety had still not been completed, but that quotations for the
work would be received within two weeks by ESTAT. The urgent need
for these facilities was acknowledged by ESTAT, and an undertaking to
complete the work by Christmas 2010 had been made;
248.3
that refurbishment of the olderS38 Health and facility still needed to be
progressed;
Safety
248.4
S38 Health and Safety
248.5
that reaccreditation of the licensee training courses had been achieved
following a positive audit report. A response to some points from the
audit was needed, and this could be made informally;
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248.6
that with the planned introduction of a bird module to the training
courses, a restructuring would take place so that the mouse would be
the central default species and training on other species would be
available as “bolt-ons”;
RESOLVED
248.7
that the accreditation audit report for licensee training be included in
the next annual report on education and training to be brought to the
Committee.
249
REPORT FROM THE USERS’ GROUP
Received an oral report from the Deputy Chair of the Users’ Group.
NOTED
249.1
that the Chair of the Users’ Group was drawing up a survey of users to
test concerns on possible anomalies in maintenance charging;
249.2
that the series of SOPs aimed at minimizing bio-contamination at the
S38 Health and Safety
were almost completed, and it had been decided
that all animals to enter the new facilities would be rederived into that
area;
RESOLVED
249.3
that the ODF liaise with the Chair of the Users’ Group to ensure that
the choice of questions on the survey would yield maximum useful
information.
S38 Health and Safety
250
REPORT FROM
BARRIER FACILITIES
Received paper BSC/10/06 from the barrier representative.
NOTED
250.1
that the facility was still operating below optimum staffing levels
owing to maternity and sick leave;
250.2
that space constraints were unlikely to be a problem owing to the
slowing down of recruitment in the current economic climate;
250.3
that a local Health and Safety inspection had been carried out in
anticipation of the HSE’s genetic modification inspection in December.
251
CAPITAL MATTERS AND ESTATES REPORT
Received an oral report from the Director of Estates Development
(Architectural) and an oral report from the Director of Estates
Development (Engineering)
NOTED
251.1
that progress had been made on the new procedure rooms in the
S38 Health and Safety
with a target for completion in November 2010;
251.2
that the humidification system S38 Health and Safety
facility had
not been replaced over the Summer as intended, but the work would
be put out to tender in late October;
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251.3
that the seven planning conditions for work on the S38 Health and Safety
had been discharged and that completion was expected in December
2010;
251.4
that a BEMS connection for the new JBIOS administrative offices would
be possible;
251.5
that the planning application for the new building in the
area would be submitted during October 2010, with work on site
anticipated in early 2011.
252
ANNUAL FINANCE & INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT
Received paper BSC/10/07.
NOTED
252.1
that the University’s new return to work strategy (SAM) was involved a
significant additional administration burden. It was, however, intended
to be of long-term benefit in improving overall attendance, and had
been shown to achieve a beneficial organizational effect where
implemented across Wales;
252.2
that a current initiative on public engagement would contribute to
addressing the JIAU audit report’s recommendation that JBIOS submit
an overview of its operations annually to key audiences;
252.3
that Understanding Animal Research had been approached to run one
or more workshops on-site on public engagement, and that there was
likely to be a good deal of interest in this from scientists and others
who could contribute.
253
LICENSED USE OF ANIMALS IN UK & CU IN 2009
Received paper BSC/10/08
NOTED
253.1
that although the UK numbers of procedures had gone down slightly in
2009, those for the University had continued to rise, and that this was
in line with other research-intensive universities;
253.2
that the relationship between the numbers of animals used on
individual projects and output in terms of peer-reviewed scientific
publications was of interest to the Committee, but that the estimated
figures used in previous years could be unreliable;
RESOLVED
253.3
that the BSO look into the possibility of a reliable method of
calculating this relationship.
254
THE COMMITTEE’S WORK OVER THE LAST SESSION MEASURED
AGAINST ITS TERMS OF REFERENCE
Received paper BSC/10/09
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254.1
NOTED that all areas of the terms of reference had been covered by
the Committee over the last session, but that management and
compliance appeared to have been covered more fully than more
directly ethical issues;
RESOLVED
254.2
that the BSO investigate possible ways to focus more directly on ethical
issues.
255
ARRIVE GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING ANIMAL RESEARCH
Received paper BSC/10/10.
NOTED
255.1
that these guidelines were a potentially valuable tool to help
researchers reinforce the message that animal-based work is carried
out humanely and professionally;
255.2
that journals have limited space and that it was generally assumed that
a statement that the work in a paper had been approved by local
ethical review and Home Office licensing would indicate that these
standards had been applied.
RESOLVED
255.3
that the paper be circulated to all Project Licence holders and that
their opinions on the need for such guidance be sought.
256
PROJECT LICENCE APPLICATIONS
Received paper BSC/10/11 “
comparison of adenovirus subtypes for
vaccination”.
NOTED
256.1
that the new licence form does not require a deputy, and that the
choice of suitability for a second contact on the form should be made
on a case-by-case basis;
256.2
that the use of the term “sentience” was badly applied in the abstract
and could be misleading;
256.3
that the mice would potentially be subject to procedures for up to 18
months, and that the applicant should be aware that this should be
taken into account in the later stages of the protocol in such cases;
RESOLVED
256.4
that the application be recommended for submission, subject to
revision of the abstract wording, and that the applicant be apprised of
the age consideration in some animals under procedure.
257
3Rs REPORT
Received and NOTED paper BSC/10/12.
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258
UAR GUIDE TO EU8869-10
Received and NOTED paper BSC/10/13.
259
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
6th December 2010 at 4.00pm
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BSC/10/14
FILE COPY OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
BIOLOGICAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE HELD ON 4 OCTOBER 2010 AT 4.00PM
Signed………………………………………(Chair)
9X