Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using technologies such as (a) organ-on-a-chip and (b) computer modelling to reduce the number of animals used in medical research testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Phasing out animal testing where possible is a clear goal of this government and innovative technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip, are essential to delivering this ambition.
The Government invests £10m annually in The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). NC3Rs provides major funding for one of Europe’s largest organ-on-a-chip facilities at Queen Mary University. Studies we have funded have assessed the use of such technologies, such as a 2021 NC3R report . We will consider these studies in a strategy published later this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to reduce overall and upfront immigration costs for researchers.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has regular discussions with the Home Office, and with other government departments, to ensure that the UK’s world-class science, research, technology and innovation sectors are supported by a competitive visa system and immigration offer.
Since 2023, UKRI allows Immigration Health Surcharge costs as well as other visa costs to be covered by their grants. Many other organisations also allow these costs on their grants, and the Immigration Health Surcharge are allowable costs on Horizon Europe grants.
Immigration fees ensure that those benefiting from the borders system and the NHS contribute to its costs, reducing taxpayer funding. The Home Office keeps fees for immigration and nationality applications under review.