Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that the Treasury Green Book takes account of the statutory duty introduced by the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 in the appraisal of policies across government.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury published an updated version of the Green Book on 5th February, which acknowledges the statutory role of the ASC and includes language in paragraph 8.84 noting that appraisals should consider the effects of a proposal on the welfare of animals.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure cross-government coordination and policy alignment with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of non-animal methods, particularly in relation to regulatory frameworks and departmental responsibilities that rely on animal testing.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working together with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in relation to those priorities, targets and commitments in DSIT’s Strategy to Support the Development, Validation and Uptake of Alternative Methods whose implementation Defra is placed to support.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the proposed consultation on banning trail hunting will allow submissions on family pets being killed by hunting hounds; and what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals on this matter.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will hold a consultation on its plans to ban trail hunting. Defra will be guided by the Government's consultation principles in shaping the proposed consultation. The department plans to introduce legislation to ban the activity of trail hunting when Parliamentary time allows. Under Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it is an offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control. The owner of any dog that is dangerously out of control may be put in prison for up to 14 years, banned from ever owning a dog and receive an unlimited fine.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the incident in which mice were left without water for up to five days; whether she has considered the adequacy of a letter of reprimand being issued as a sanction in response; and what steps her Department is taking to prevent animals from being left without food or water.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
All licensed establishments must fully uphold the required standards for animal welfare as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance and takes matters of non-compliance very seriously. All cases of non-compliance are thoroughly investigated. Where there is sufficient evidence for a breach, ASRU will issue a suitable and proportionate remedy to prevent recurrence of similar breaches. Moreover, ASRU’s Annual Report 2024 draws key learnings from cases of non-compliance and makes recommendations to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.
Regarding the incidents referenced, ASRU investigated the incidents and acted according to the published compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how ASRU identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies.
The Government remains fully committed to continuous improvement in the regulation of the use of animals in science, and to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to further strengthen ASRU, ensuring confidence in the regulatory system and maintaining robust compliance with ASPA.
As part of the reform programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's corporate report, entitled Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the sanction for the case where the mother was removed from cage and killed, resulting in unweaned pups starving to death; and what steps she is taking to prevent animals dying from starvation in facilities licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (3).
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
All licensed establishments must fully uphold the required standards for animal welfare as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance and takes matters of non-compliance very seriously. All cases of non-compliance are thoroughly investigated. Where there is sufficient evidence for a breach, ASRU will issue a suitable and proportionate remedy to prevent recurrence of similar breaches. Moreover, ASRU’s Annual Report 2024 draws key learnings from cases of non-compliance and makes recommendations to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.
Regarding the incidents referenced, ASRU investigated the incidents and acted according to the published compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how ASRU identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies.
The Government remains fully committed to continuous improvement in the regulation of the use of animals in science, and to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to further strengthen ASRU, ensuring confidence in the regulatory system and maintaining robust compliance with ASPA.
As part of the reform programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to build energetics and munitions factories.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We have committed £1.5 billion to move munitions production to “always on” and build six new munitions and energetics factories. Work is underway to plan the new factories.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that trail hunting is not used for the illegal hunting of wild mammals with dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and Defra will consult on how to deliver a ban in the new year.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she will take to ensure banks provide access to affordable credit to people who are financially excluded.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that, when provided responsibly, credit can play an important role in helping people manage unexpected expenses and smooth their cash flow. Access to suitable, affordable credit products can support people’s financial resilience and help them achieve their financial goals.
For this reason, the Government is committed to improving access to affordable credit. HM Treasury regularly engages with lenders on a range of policy matters, including how the provision of affordable credit can be strengthened.
The Government’s recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy sets out an ambitious package of measures to improve access to affordable credit. This includes support for the community finance sector and a pilot of a small-sum lending scheme, run by Fair4All Finance, which will test the offer of small value loans from a mainstream lender.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November, whether the Government plans to develop targets as well as metrics to monitor progress in delivering the Strategy’s objectives on improving access to affordable credit.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Earlier this month, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy setting out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK. The Strategy was developed alongside a committee of industry and consumer representatives and seeks to tackle a range of barriers individuals face in accessing financial products, including a key focus on improving access to credit.
As part of developing the strategy, the Government has engaged with Financial Inclusion Committee members and other organisations on how to measure its impact. The Strategy’s implementation will be reviewed in two years’ time to provide an update on interventions and relevant outcomes-based metrics, which will reflect on the progress made across the sector.
The Government will continue to work closely with the sector as we implement the strategy, including continuing to engage with firms on interventions to strengthen the provision of affordable credit.
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress her Department has made in reviewing responses to the call for evidence on reforming the credit union common bond in Great Britain; and when her Department plans to publish its proposed next steps.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises the role that credit unions play in providing savings and affordable loans to their members, serving local communities throughout the country. This is why the government is taking steps to ensure credit unions are fully supported to grow and scale into the future.
This includes exploring legislative reform to the credit union common bond, to ensure it remains fit for purpose. We launched a call for evidence at last year’s Mansion House on the potential reform, which closed in March this year.
Responses to the call for evidence are being carefully considered and the government will provide an update on this work in due course.