Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will recall all licences for companies to carry out animal testing.

This Government recognises that scientific research using animals plays a vital part in our understanding of how biological systems work in health and disease. The use of animals in science supports the development of new medicines and cutting-edge medical technologies, for humans and animals, as well as supporting the safety and sustainability of our environment.

The Government is also clear that animals must be protected. The legal framework in the UK requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.

The Government has no plans to ban all animal testing but is committed to fully implementing the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), and promoting non-animal alternatives wherever possible.