Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency uses (a) placenta-on-a-chip and (b) other modern test methods in drug testing.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the development of new medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not, itself, carry out experimental studies. Its role is to review reports of studies supplied by drug developers characterising safety and potential efficacy of the drug; these can include placenta-on-a chip, or other methods using human cells.

To be able to make such judgements, MHRA staff need to maintain and develop their knowledge about modern testing methods and to this end, MHRA staff have contributed to organising and have attended meetings where these methods are discussed. For instance, Agency staff contributed to a multi-stakeholder meeting in London in November 2024 organised in conjunction with the National Council for the 3Rs and with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry for which a publication is now under preparation. MHRA staff will attend the Microphysiological Systems World Summit in Brussels in June 2025, where drug testing methods will be a major topic of discussion.

The MHRA’s own laboratory activities include the independent testing of certain biological products, for example, vaccines and anti-toxins, to ensure they meet acceptable standards prior to each batch being released for use. In the small number of products where this work currently relies on use of animals, development of acceptable, validated, alternatives is a major priority; the numbers of animals used in our regulatory science has more than halved in the last 10 years.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will postpone changes to taxation to double-cab pick-up trucks for 12 months.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Double Cab Pick Up vehicles (DCPUs) have been treated as goods vehicles for tax purposes, rather than cars. Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, Double Cab Pick Ups must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, based on their primary suitability.

The government has no plans to legislate to treat DCPUs as goods vehicles as this would depart from the broader principles underpinning the Court of Appeal’s judgement, and be a significant tax break worth hundreds of millions per year.

The transitional arrangements mean that this will not affect the capital allowances treatment of any business that already owns a DCPU, or that purchases one before April 2025; and businesses that purchase a DCPU after this date will still be able to deduct the cost from their taxable profits at 18% or 6% per year. Under the transitional arrangements for Benefit-in-Kind, anyone who has accessed a DCPU before April 2025 will not be impacted until the sooner of disposal of the vehicle, April 2029 or when their lease expires. The Government has no plans to legislate to postpone the changes. However, there are alternatives to DCPUs (such as Single Cab Pick Ups) that are still treated as goods vehicles.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help resolve issues around the administration of ISG; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring construction firms awarded major public infrastructure projects to have an internal audit function.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies.

The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement.

The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department had with ISG on its internal audit functions prior to that company going into administration; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of (a) audit and (b) governance legislation.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies.

The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement.

The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the largest (a) private and (b) public companies to publish a triennial Audit and Assurance Policy mandating them to report (i) internal audit and (ii) other assurance capabilities.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies.

The Government is currently undertaking a review of non-financial reporting and aims to consult later in 2025 on reforms to simplify the UK’s corporate reporting framework. This will provide an opportunity to consider the potential merits of additional reporting requirements like an Audit and Assurance Policy statement.

The financial resilience of major suppliers to government, including firms working on infrastructure projects, is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Crown Commercial Service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to widen the definition of a public interest entity to include the largest companies not listed on the main London Stock Exchange.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government’s plans to widen the definition of a Public Interest Entity were announced in the King’s Speech.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals were housed in UK (a) laboratories, (b) breeding centres and (c) universities but not used in scientific procedures in 2023; and how many animals were not used in scientific procedures and euthanised in 2023.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The available data in this area was most recently set out in Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, published on 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken. The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22359 on DEFRA: Unpaid Work, what Environment Agency summer internship opportunities for 2025 are open to (a) male, (b) white, (c) British and (d) working class people, other than industry placements, apprenticeships, training partnerships and scholarships.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) does not offer unpaid internships. Employment opportunities with the EA are advertised on the jobs board: External Opportunities - Environment Agency Jobs.

In 2025 the EA is running its Summer Development Internship Programme, which is open to men, working class people, British people and white people who also come from a minority ethnic background (e.g. White Irish, Roma, Jewish or other white ethnic minority backgrounds).

We are happy to consider any application that he may want to put forward for one of these roles.

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