Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to consult (a) industry stakeholders and (b) relevant experts on the proposals set out in the Government’s forthcoming strategy on phasing out the use of animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.
This transition must be science-led and in lock step with partners. The Government has been consulting industry, academia and civil society as this process unfolds. Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then. Ministers and officials also engage with relevant experts including academics, with Lord Vallance meeting the Harries lab at the University of Exeter, and officials opening the Queen Mary University organ-on-a-chip facility.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders in the (a) life sciences and (b) technology sectors on the potential contribution of artificial intelligence to supporting the uptake of (i) non-animal new approach methodologies and (ii) alternatives to animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.
Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives, including discussing the application of AI and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then. The Government is also co-funding seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two of which focus on AI which will support developing alternative methods.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department has taken to support the addition of an ocean energy pilot farms call to the 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As an Associated Country to Horizon Europe, the UK actively contributes to the programme’s governance and development, including through participation in programme committees. This enables the UK to shape the direction of international research and maximise collaboration on areas of mutual interest in Horizon Europe, including within Cluster 5 of the programme which focuses on Climate, Energy and Mobility.
The Government cannot comment on the 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme, as it is still in development by the European Commission.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US National Institutes of Health's new initiative to expand human-based science while reducing animal use in research; and whether this could be replicated in the UK.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year. As part of this, we continually monitor international developments such as those at the US National Institutes of Health, and are in discussion with our overseas colleagues as to how we can work together on this matter.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with industry stakeholders on the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022; and what further consultations he has planned.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Discussions on the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 have focused on the Government’s intention to commence the provisions, and to hold public consultations. Stakeholders have also been asked to provide data on the cases affected.
A technical consultation on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 – 64 of the Act, dealing with certain Renewal agreements, was published on 7 May 2025.
The Government is considering the best approach to commencing Section 70, relating to complaints procedures.
The other outstanding provisions relate to court jurisdiction and unresponsive landowners. Work is underway to commence these provisions.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to take steps to support the UK Safer Internet Centre after March 2025.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government recognises the important work of the three organisations that form the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) in improving online safety. We are committed to continued engagement with UKSIC in support of its aim to establish a sustainable funding model.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas is strong but there is still more to do, with coverage at 84%
This is based on data collected up to January 2024 and is the most recent data we have breaking down coverage by urban and rural.
Government and Ofcom have deployed a range of measures to support urban roll-out. For instance, by establishing regulation to allow infrastructure sharing between providers, and working with local authorities to overcome planning barriers.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to prioritise research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.
This includes through DecodeME, the world’s largest ME/CFS study, via strategic co-funding with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHIR), which aims to find genetic factors to better understand ME/CFS disease pathways and unlock future treatment pathways. Initial results of the DecodeME study, posted on NIHR Open Research, include consideration of the impact of ME/CFS on women.
UKRI continue to encourage high-quality proposals across their funding opportunities, maintaining an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research. MRC also co-funded the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities for ME/CFS, led by people with ME/CFS, their carers and clinicians, and facilitated by Action for M.E.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will prioritise funding for research on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis on women.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.
This includes through DecodeME, the world’s largest ME/CFS study, via strategic co-funding with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHIR), which aims to find genetic factors to better understand ME/CFS disease pathways and unlock future treatment pathways. Initial results of the DecodeME study, posted on NIHR Open Research, include consideration of the impact of ME/CFS on women.
UKRI continue to encourage high-quality proposals across their funding opportunities, maintaining an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research. MRC also co-funded the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities for ME/CFS, led by people with ME/CFS, their carers and clinicians, and facilitated by Action for M.E.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 introducing Herbie’s Law, a practical framework to (a) enable the long-term phase-out of animal experiments in medical research and (b) support scientists with the transition to (i) computer modelling, (ii) organ-on-a-chip technology and (iii) other human-specific methods.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.
As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.