Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the146 cases of non-compliance in British laboratories described in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, involving a total of 22,204 animals.

All establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act1986 are required to meet standards of animal protections as set out in the Act and in the associated Code of Practice. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts a programme of regular audits to assure compliance and takes any instance of non-compliance extremely seriously.

ASRU’s annual report for 2024 shows a reduction in the instances of non-compliance from 169 cases in 2023 to 146 in 2024. While 22,204 animals were involved in these incidents, only a small proportion -189 animals - were found to have experienced adverse outcomes, a significant reduction from 553 in 2023. The species most affected were fish (99) and mice (58).

ASRU’s published Compliance Policy (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing- and-research-compliance-with-aspa) sets out how the regulator identifies, investigates and responds to potential incidents of non-compliance, and how it applies proportionate measures and sanctions where breaches are found. These actions are designed to drive sustained improvements in compliance, strengthen governance and ensure the principles of the replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs) are fully embedded.