Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to secure external funding for the further development of non-animal methods of pharmaceutical testing.

The Government is committed to supporting the development and uptake of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and we are engaging with the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory authorities on how to take this commitment forward.

The Government invests significantly through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in the development and adoption of non-animal approaches. The NC3Rs receives additional funding from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for specific programmes and substantial in-kind support from companies for their CRACK IT innovation programme.