Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to end the forced swim test in addition to holding discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) UKRI.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office intends to completely eliminate the use of the forced swim test. This will require the validation of suitable appropriate alternatives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish a timeline for ending the forced swim test.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office intends to completely eliminate the use of the forced swim test. This will require the validation of suitable appropriate alternatives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set a deadline for elimination of the forced swim test.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office intends to completely eliminate the use of the forced swim test. This will require the validation of suitable appropriate alternatives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many active licences authorise use of the forced swim test.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office intends to completely eliminate the use of the forced swim test. This will require the validation of suitable appropriate alternatives.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law, a practical framework to (a) enable the long-term phase-out of animal experiments in medical research and (b) support scientists with the transition to (i) computer modelling, (ii) organ-on-a-chip technology and (iii) other human-specific methods.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.

As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take with (a) scientists, (b) industry representatives and (c) civil society representatives to help phase out animal testing.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.

As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish a list of animal tests replaced by non-animal methods since 2010.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The use of animals in scientific procedures is only authorised by the Home Office Regulator where there is clear scientific benefit, to people, animals, or the environment, and only when all aspects of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have been fulfilled.

Licence applicants are required to robustly evidence their consideration of alternative methods. The Regulator reviews all licence applications and will only issue a licence once it is satisfied there are no practicable alternative methods.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 May 2023 on Regulation Update, HCWS779, if she will make it her Department's policy to reinstate a full ban on the testing of cosmetic products on animals covering chemicals used (a) exclusively and (b) predominantly as cosmetic product ingredients.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.

Additionally, the Government does not issue licences for animal testing of chemicals that are used exclusively as cosmetics ingredients, carried out under chemicals (REACH) regulations for the purpose of worker and environmental safety.

No animal testing is being conducted, nor will any testing be authorised, of chemicals that are exclusively intended to be used as ingredients in cosmetics products.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for phasing out animal testing.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing. Discussions on this subject are already underway, but no specific timetable has been published. The Government, via UK Research & Innovation, continues to fund the development of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research through the National Centre for 3Rs (NC3Rs).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to commission an impact assessment on the proposed phasing out of animal testing.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the use of animal testing in scientific research.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

On Monday 19th February, I announced that the government will be publishing a plan to accelerate the development, validation, and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science. This summer, this will be led by a cross-government group that will consult stakeholders in industry, academia, and charities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2022, published on 25 April 2024, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) help increase compliance with (i) legislation and (ii) licence conditions with respect to the provision of care for animals and (b) support the replacement of animal (A) research and (B) testing with (1) organ-on-a-chip, (2) computer modelling and (3) other human-specific technologies.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Security)

The Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has embarked on an ambitious agenda of regulatory reform. The ASRU Regulatory Reform Programme aims to deliver leading regulatory practice, improving how ASRU meets best practice regulatory standards, and enhancing ASRU’s ability to protect animals in scientific testing and research. As part of reforms ASRU will be reviewing and strengthening its licensing and audit processes, with a focus on improving compliance with the legislation and providing a quality service to the science sector.

This Government has committed to soon publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science. The Government recently announced that it will double investment, from £10m to £20m per annum, in research to achieve the three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) with a focus on the development of non-animal alternatives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the corporate report entitled Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2022, published on 25 April 2024, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for increases in incidents involving failure to provide adequate care for animals.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Security)

The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The numbers of non-compliance cases vary in any given year. In 2022 the Animals in Science Regulation Unit introduced improvements in how non-compliance is reported, which includes self-reporting. The self-reporting of non-compliance by establishments is vital to assure a culture of compliance. The increase in numbers of reported non-compliances in the annual report was driven by increased self-reporting.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit will further evaluate trends in non-compliance as its regulatory reform programme develops. Every case is investigated, and remedies and sanctions applied according to its published non-compliance policy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to strengthen sanctions for those who breach conditions of a licence to conduct animal experiments for scientific research.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Security)

The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit applies sanctions in cases of non-compliance in accordance with its compliance policy, which aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.

More rigorous sanctions are used in cases where animal welfare is impacted or there are significant systems failures.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit's Annual Report 2022 on 25 April, what assessment they have made of the adequacy of sanctions such as inspector advice and compliance letters in response to animal welfare failings, including animals dying because of a lack of food or water.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit responds to and applies sanctions in cases of non-compliance in accordance with its compliance policy, which aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance. More rigorous sanctions are used in cases where animal welfare is impacted or there are significant systems failures.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit will continue to assess the proportionality of its responses to cases of non-compliance.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to end the use of LD50 testing on animals.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The UK supports work to develop New Approach Methodologies which can provide information on chemical hazards and risk assessment without the use of animals.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is the UK regulatory authority for veterinary medicines. The VMD assesses applications submitted by the veterinary pharmaceutical industry in line with national and international regulations and guidance to ensure safe and effective veterinary medicines of good quality are marketed. These requirements may therefore necessitate animal testing either to develop and register new veterinary medicines or for routine product quality control, to ensure the continued quality, safety and efficacy batch to batch. Non-animal tests are not always available. The VMD is committed to phasing out the use of animals for testing purposes where possible, in accordance with the principles of 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Furthermore, the UK is a signatory to the European Pharmacopoeia (which sets minimum quality standards of medicines) and the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes. This commitment to the 3Rs is also enshrined in the UK’s Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 under which scientific procedures in animals are regulated.

For veterinary medicines significant progress in non-animal testing has been made in recent years, including the possibility of replacing animals by in vitro suitable cell cultures in LD50-type testing methods, and the relevant regulatory quality standards and testing requirements have been revised accordingly for these specific medicines. Many Marketing Authorisation Holders for these specific medicines have already, and more recently, introduced these changes to their authorised medicines, which will reduce the number of animals used. Implementation of new tests for existing products can be a complicated process, requiring extensive validation and it is not always possible to replace all of the existing animal tests with in vitro non-animal replacements for each existing authorised product. The relevant UK Competent Authority for regulation of these medicines will continue to monitor the use of animals in these tests and to recommend use of non-animal tests where possible.

The Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation (the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs, Andrew Griffith) recently announced that the Government will publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science, which will be published in the summer. He also requested that we double our investment in research to achieve these approaches next year to £20 million across the system in 2024/25.

LD50 testing is not required for preclinical development of novel medicines. Quality control testing of some authorised medicines relies on LD50 testing to ensure each batch meets expected quality standards. UK regulators follow the principles of the 3Rs. Significant progress has been made on validating alternative methods which do not use animals, including the possibility of replacing mice by in vitro suitable cell cultures in LD50-type testing methods, and the relevant regulatory quality standards and testing requirements have been revised accordingly for these specific medicines.

Found: MHRA received and approved for licensing requests of new medicine (not repurposed medicine), where animal

Found: published literature; incomplete or missing research data; studies without comparable baselines; animal