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, (1) what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of inspectors employed by the Unit's licensing function and (2) what actions her Department will be taking to increase the number of inspectors.

The Government is fully committed to continuous improvement in regulation and 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 strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to retain confidence and maintain robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).

As part of this 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.

Audit is based on assessing compliance through organisational governance to encourage greater commitment to compliance. The Regulator’s audit programme for compliance assurance purposes is delivered in accordance with the requirements defined in ASPA.

As part of the regulatory reform programme, the Regulator will be updating its audit programme, which is scheduled for release later in 2026.