Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to reduce duplication in animal testing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is taking several steps to avoid unnecessary duplication in animal testing. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, applicants must demonstrate that they have considered existing evidence and alternative approaches before animal use can be authorised. Home Office inspectors assess whether proposed studies are scientifically justified and whether the 3Rs have been applied as part of the project licence process. Licence holders must also avoid conducting procedures where the required data already exist. In addition, the Government’s Replacing Animals in Science strategy supports increased data sharing and the development and uptake of non-animal methods.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help protect intellectual property rights in the training of AI models.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The government recognises the importance of protecting intellectual property rights for creators and rightsholders. It published a report and impact assessment on AI and copyright on 18 March outlining the steps it is taking on the use of copyright works in AI training.
This includes publishing a review of the mechanisms available for creators to control their works online, establishing a taskforce on labelling AI-generated content, launching a working group on independent and smaller creative organisations, and launching a consultation on ‘digital replicas’.
We continue to listen to the views and perspectives of a range of stakeholders on these issues.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to set out a timetable for phasing out animal testing where alternatives are viable.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government’s Replacing Animals in Science strategy sets out a long-term, science-led approach to reducing reliance on animal testing. Where validated alternatives are available, existing legislation already requires them to be used in place of animals. The Government will not set an arbitrary timetable for the complete phase-out of animal testing, as progress depends on scientific and regulatory developments. Instead, we will publish timelines for specific actions and targeted replacements, alongside key performance indicators and delivery updates to track progress
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of setting annual targets for reducing the number of instances of animal testing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government has considered the importance of measuring progress in reducing reliance on animals in science. However, it is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and ongoing regulatory requirements. Any reduction must be science-led and delivered in step with the development, validation and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods. For this reason, the Government will not set arbitrary annual targets for overall reductions in animal testing. Instead, progress will be tracked through transparent milestones, timelines for specific actions, key performance indicators and regular public reporting under the Replacing Animals in Science strategy.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
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 impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on (a) small websites, (b) personal blogs and (c) community forums.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope user-to-user and search services must risk assess for content that is illegal and harmful to children. Ofcom, the independent regulator for this regime, set out what steps small, low-risk providers need to take to fulfil their duties following their risk assessment. When implementing these duties, Ofcom is legally required to ensure burdens on providers are proportionate to their risk factors, size, and capacity. Ofcom recently launched an online digital toolkit, aimed at helping smaller services with compliance (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/ofcom-launches-digital-safety-toolkit-for-online-services/