Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when his Department plans to publish the roadmap to phase out the use of animals in testing; who will be involved in development of the roadmap; what the first practical steps of the roadmap will be; and whether he plans to take further steps in addition to the roadmap.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. 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.

We take seriously the importance of this work and recognise that any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led and in lock step with partners. We are currently engaging with partners as to how we will take this commitment forward.