Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of animal tests that are taking place for regulatory purposes where a suitable non-animal alternative is already available; and if she will make an assessment of the reasons for those trends.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) ensures that all animal testing, including for regulatory purposes, is only carried out where no non-animal alternative can be used. Licence applicants are required to robustly evidence their consideration of why alternative methods cannot be used. The Home Office Regulator reviews all licence applications and will only issue a licence once it is satisfied there are no practicable alternative methods available. Therefore, if a non-animal alternative is available for the scientific outcome sought then the Home Office will not authorise that testing to take place.