Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to make £20 million available each year to fund research into alternatives for animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are considering funding into alternatives for animal testing as part of the Spending Review, and cannot commit funding amounts in advance of this process.