Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the adequacy of her Department's enforcement of section 2A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Home Office maintains a rigorous approach to enforcing Section 2A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which embeds the statutory principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). All applications proposing the use of animals undergo a robust assessment to ensure that non-animal alternatives have been fully explored, that any animals use is fully justified and that potential harms are minimised. Compliance with the 3Rs is actively monitored through a programme of audit and follow-up enforcement activity.

Animal Welfare and Ethical Review bodies (AWERBs) have an essential and statutory responsibility under ASPA in challenging the need for animal use and advising on the application of the 3Rs within establishments. The Home Office has commissioned the Animals in Science Committee for advice on enhancing the effectiveness and consistency of AWERBs across the system.

In November 2025, the Government published “Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods”. This strategy commits to delivery of recommendations published in the ‘Rawle Report’, which involve strengthening Home Office processes for assuring full implementation of the 3Rs. The report is available here: The role of review and regulatory approvals processes for animal research in supporting implementation of the 3Rs