Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will lay a statutory instrument containing activity regulations to fully implement the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to take forward changes to low-welfare activities abroad.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 10 July (HL9168), whether they plan to meet the Low-Welfare Act Coalition as part of stakeholder engagement, and if so when.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has previously met with the Low-Welfare Act Coalition in October 2024 and has corresponded with the group since. Further engagement is planned shortly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people moved to the UK through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024, and (4) 2025.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

It has been over four years since the ARAP was launched, and as of the 31 March 2025, has seen 21,316 principals and their family members already relocated to the UK.

Over 12,800 people have been successfully resettled under the ACRS since 2021 and over half of these arrivals have been children and a quarter women.

Data on the number of Eligible Persons resettled under ARAP and ACRS in the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 is available in the quarterly published immigration statistics on GOV.UK.

For a summary of the data, see the resettlement section of the How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’ chapter; for detailed data, see table Res_D02 of the asylum and resettlement data sets.

The above is the best available operational data, as of 31 March 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people moved to the UK through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024, and (4) 2025.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

It has been over four years since the ARAP was launched, and as of the 31 March 2025, has seen 21,316 principals and their family members already relocated to the UK.

Over 12,800 people have been successfully resettled under the ACRS since 2021 and over half of these arrivals have been children and a quarter women.

Data on the number of Eligible Persons resettled under ARAP and ACRS in the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 is available in the quarterly published immigration statistics on GOV.UK.

For a summary of the data, see the resettlement section of the How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’ chapter; for detailed data, see table Res_D02 of the asylum and resettlement data sets.

The above is the best available operational data, as of 31 March 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how Afghans who are at risk due to their work with the UK or on women's rights can relocate to the UK.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Over 35,000 individuals have been relocated to the UK through our Afghan schemes, which were specifically designed to support those who worked with the UK government, assisted in UK efforts in Afghanistan, or stood up for values such as democracy and human rights. These schemes closed on the 1 July 2025.

The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Non-technical summaries for project licences granted January – March 2025 that require a retrospective assessment, published on 11 June, what assessment they have made of the suffering caused to macaque monkeys.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Each application to use animals in science is subject to a robust and rigorous harm benefit assessment by a trained Home Office Inspector whom is a member of either the veterinary or medical profession. This ensures that any harm that may be caused to the animals is justified by the likely expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment.

All applications must conform with all legal requirements set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This includes, applying the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement); the replacement of animals with alternatives, the reduction of the number of animals used to the minimum possible and the refinement of any techniques to reduce the harm suffered by the animals to the minimum. The Home Office conducts a robust and rigorous harm benefit assessment which requires a detailed justification of the harms and which demonstrates the 3Rs have been fully considered. All licence holders have a responsibility to fully implement the 3Rs throughout the lifetime of a licence and demonstrate this requirement at audit.

Licence holders are required to complete retrospective assessments for licences if the protocols in the studies are using non-human primates, cats, dogs and equidae and all those involving procedures classified as severe. Retrospective assessments must consider whether any lessons can be learnt from the programme of work which may contribute to the further implementation of the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), the Home Office and DEFRA are engaging with stakeholders to finalise a strategy to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing which is scheduled for publication later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Non-technical summaries for projects granted in 2025, January to March, what steps they are taking to end invasive brain research on non-human primates and other animals.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

All applications must conform with all legal requirements set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This includes, applying the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement); the replacement of animals with alternatives, the reduction of the number of animals used to the minimum possible and the refinement of any techniques to reduce the harm suffered by the animals to the minimum.

The Home Office conducts a robust and rigorous harm benefit assessment which requires a detailed justification of the harms, and which demonstrates the 3Rs have been fully considered. All licence holders have a responsibility to fully implement the 3Rs throughout the lifetime of a licence and demonstrate this requirement at audit.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), the Home Office and DEFRA are engaging with stakeholders to finalise a strategy to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing which is scheduled for publication later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they have closed the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and why they did not give advance notice of those closures.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has been in operation for over four years and over 95% of all applications are now found to be ineligible. This Government has been clear that resettlement schemes cannot be an indefinite process. Over 19,000 individuals have now relocated to the UK under ARAP.Those who have submitted an application will be duly processed.

Over 13,200 people have also been successfully resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) since 2021. We will continue to honour our commitments to those who have already been found eligible for ACRS and ARAP.

Found: Addington; Baroness Browning; Lord Crisp; Baroness Goudie; Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell; Baroness Hodgson of Abinger

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Found: After Clause 28 BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER 89_ After Clause 28, insert the following new Clause—

Found: BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Communal ground source

Found: BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Communal ground source

Found: BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Communal ground source

Found: BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER _ After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause— “Communal ground source

Found: Planning and Infrastructure Bill 28 BARONESS HODGSON OF ABINGER _ After Clause 51, insert the following