Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress Government has made in implementing its strategy to phase out animal testing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 April 2026 to Question UIN 126489
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if the Government will publish annual progress reports on the a) development, b) funding and c) regulatory uptake of New Approach Methodologies.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government will publish a delivery update on the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, alongside key performance indicators on progress across all elements of the strategy, later in 2026. This will include information relevant to the development, funding and regulatory uptake of alternative methods. In addition, a publicly available dashboard of progress against key deliverables is being developed to support transparency. The Government will continue to monitor delivery across departments and partner organisations, ensuring that progress is tracked and reported as part of the overall governance framework for the strategy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the economic potential of non-animal New Approach Methodologies for the UK life sciences sector.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 May 2026 to Question UIN 2451
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 increase public funding for New Approach Methodologies for (a) research, (b) testing and (c) safety assessment.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is supporting the development, validation and uptake of New Approach Methodologies through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by £75 million of funding to accelerate alternatives and innovation. This includes multi‑year funding secured through the Spending Review to provide stability for key programmes. UK Research and Innovation invests in a broad portfolio of research that underpins alternative methods, including for testing and safety assessment. As this research is often categorised as basic research, it is not always possible to disaggregate funding specifically for New Approach Methodologies. The Department will continue to support investment through delivery of the strategy and future funding decisions.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that supply chains critical to the UK semiconductor industry are resilient to (a) global economic shocks and (b) conflicts.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government works closely across departments to strengthen the resilience of critical supply chains, including those underpinning the UK's semiconductor industry. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology works in coordination with the Department for Business and Trade, His Majesty’s Treasury and other departments to monitor risks, identify vulnerabilities and improve resilience.
The Government’s Industrial Strategy supports growth in the UK semiconductor sector and includes measures to strengthen supply chain resilience. Given the global nature of semiconductor supply chains, the Government also works with international partners, including through the G7 and the OECD, to address shared risks and strengthen collective resilience to global economic shocks and potential disruption, including from geopolitical conflicts.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the devolution of decision making for Government funded R&D grants.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
We are fully committed to regular and constructive dialogue with the Devolved Governments on our shared priorities, including the distribution of R&D funding across the UK. Key to this is making sure the benefits of science and innovation are felt across all corners of the country. It is positive to have seen an increase of £142m in UKRI investment across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2021/22 and 2023/24.
R&D funding is partially devolved: Devolved Governments receive funding in their block grants which includes consequentials arising from UKRI allocations made through Research England. Devolved Governments can allocate block grant funding as they choose within devolved policy areas, which include higher education and economic development. This includes the ability to allocate funding to R&D according to their priorities. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, in 2024/25:
Through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), we are also empowering local leaders in 17 regions across the UK to target R&D investment and unleash their full innovation potential. The Government is investing up to £150 million through the LIPF in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2031. The Government is considering the future of LIPF in the nations.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she will make a statement in the House on how decisions over R&D funding allocated by the UK Government may be devolved in a) Scotland, b) Wales and c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
We are fully committed to regular and constructive dialogue with the Devolved Governments on our shared priorities, including the distribution of R&D funding across the UK. Key to this is making sure the benefits of science and innovation are felt across all corners of the country. It is positive to have seen an increase of £142m in UKRI investment across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2021/22 and 2023/24.
R&D funding is partially devolved: Devolved Governments receive funding in their block grants which includes consequentials arising from UKRI allocations made through Research England. Devolved Governments can allocate block grant funding as they choose within devolved policy areas, which include higher education and economic development. This includes the ability to allocate funding to R&D according to their priorities. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, in 2024/25:
Through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), we are also empowering local leaders in 17 regions across the UK to target R&D investment and unleash their full innovation potential. The Government is investing up to £150 million through the LIPF in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2031. The Government is considering the future of LIPF in the nations.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 117875 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding mentioned in her answer for the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of additional funding models.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government has announced £75m of funding to accelerate alternatives and innovation, with new capabilities being developed across the UK. This funding will help bring forward advanced testing methods that can save lives and support a faster, science‑led route to regulation. £60 million of this is ring‑fenced, multi‑year funding secured through the 2025 Spending Review to provide long‑term stability for strategic programmes. The Department remains fully committed to delivering the actions set out in the Replacing Animals in Science strategy through the funding secured in the Review
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps is she taking to end the use of the LD50 test for UK-only regulations.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 December 2025 to Question 96750.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has undertaken analysis of financial losses to UK consumers arising from engagement with illegal streaming services; and whether he is taking steps to mitigate those losses.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The UK Government recognises the challenges that illegal streaming services creates for intellectual property (IP) owners, creators, businesses and consumers. We work closely with law enforcement partners, rights holders, consumers, and industry to understand where and how this is taking place.
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has conducted research into the scale of digital piracy, and IP infringement more broadly across multiple sectors. For example, two IPO consumer surveys published in 2025 demonstrated that digital piracy continues to be a challenge in the UK. In 2024, 29% of UK residents aged 12+ (around 17.2 million) had recently accessed online content that infringed IP rights. This activity can have a negative impact on businesses. These impacts include, but are not limited to, lost sales and the costs related to monitoring and enforcement.
This information is used, along with other data we collect on online infringement (e.g., use of counterfeit goods) to help design measures that can affect consumer behaviour and provide cost-effective, targeted enforcement procedures.