Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scientific procedures involved the use of dogs from 2020- 2024.

The number of animals used in scientific research and testing, including dogs, is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit#statistics. Statistics for 2024 are scheduled for publication in July.

The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on a strategy to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing which is scheduled for publication later this year.