Statutory signatures

On the basis that in effect it is society at large that is giving permission for this work to be performed, the Minister requires that two prominent members of society add their approval to the licence. The calibre of these people is determined by the Act. Possibly the age of the Act reflects the choice of person they are:
A Professor of surgery/medicine or a medical subject and   The President of one of the 'learned bodies';  e,g..  the President of the Royal College of Surgeons etc. 
Finally, the applicant themselves must sign the form and declare that the information is valid andt hat he will keep true records of his/her animal work.

The following assurances should be sought by the signatory

That;
The aim of the project is worthwhile and that the likely benefits of the project are substantial enough in relation to the suffering likely to be caused to the animals used i.e...; the likely benefits of the research should be weighed against the cost to the animals involved.

The possible benefits should be stated.

The design of the project is such that there is a strong possibility that it will achieve its aim.

The aim could not be achieved using morally more acceptable alternative subjects and procedures

The statistical implications of the project have been included in the design and that the information generated will be statistically valid. It may be useful to have an experienced statistician comment on the design of the project. The object is to use the minimum number of animals which will give a statistically significant result.