Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of existing legacy licences for testing exclusive-use cosmetics ingredients on animals on animal welfare.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Government is engaging with the relevant companies to urgently determine a way forward on legacy licences.
All establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Great Britain are subject to the full requirements of the Act. This provides for a regulatory regimen of activities that protects animals in science including audits and inspections by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to ensure compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with the Act.
Both announced and unannounced site visits are undertaken within a risk-based framework to assure compliance and inspect the welfare, health, and environment of animals at each establishment.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many licences, and to whom, they have granted for animal testing of cosmetic ingredients since the start of 2019.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.
On 17 May 2023 the Government announced it is going further by banning, with immediate effect, licences to test ingredients exclusively used in the production of cosmetics for the purposes of worker safety.
The Home Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-17/hcws779.
The Home Office does not publish details of licensed establishments.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her Department allows licenses for animal testing of cosmetic ingredients to be issued in certain circumstances.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.
On 17 May 2023 the Government announced it is going further by banning, with immediate effect, licences to test ingredients exclusively used in the production of cosmetics for the purposes of worker safety.
The Home Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-17/hcws779.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the High Court ruling on the licensing of animal testing for cosmetic ingredients on 5 May 2023.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.
On 17 May 2023 the Government announced it is going further by banning, with immediate effect, licences to test ingredients exclusively used in the production of cosmetics for the purposes of worker safety.
The Home Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-17/hcws779
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment had been made of the efficacy of existing non-animal methods of safety testing of cosmetic products ingredients before it began issuing licenses for animal testing.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As the GB regulator for REACH, HSE has closely supported the development of a number of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines on in vitro toxicity testing which are recognised as the international standard. These tests are applicable for testing on a diverse range of chemical substances which can include cosmetic product ingredients. Other methods such as predictive computer modelling can also be used as appropriate.
Modern alternatives mean there are opportunities to design non-animal testing strategies for these chemicals so that worker and environmental safety is unlikely to be compromised, and potentially enhanced. In this way, working with industry, the Government is seeking to improve safety by the application of new non-animal science and technology.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review her Department's policies on the testing cosmetic products on animals.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office is responsible for animal testing. The Home Secretary made a statement which can be found here.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals on banning animal testing of substances exclusively for use in cosmetics (a) where testing is required in order to assess the risk to workers of exposure to that substance and (b) in all other circumstances.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.
On 17 May 2023 the Government announced it is going further by banning, with immediate effect, licences to test ingredients exclusively used in the production of cosmetics for the purposes of worker safety.
The Home Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-17/hcws779.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licenses for animal testing of cosmetic ingredients have been issued since 2019 as a result of the European Chemicals Agency ruling; and to whom those licenses were issued.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Animal testing of cosmetics for consumer safety has been banned in the UK since 1998 and this remains in force.
On 17 May 2023 the Government announced it is going further by banning, with immediate effect, licences to test ingredients exclusively used in the production of cosmetics for the purposes of worker safety.
The Home Secretary has issued a Written Ministerial Statement, which can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-17/hcws779.
Since 2019, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit has granted seven project licences, or amendments to licences, that specifically authorise the testing on animals of chemicals for use as ingredients in cosmetics under the REACH regulations.
The Home Office does not publish details of licensed establishments.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answers of 6 December 2021 to Question 76580 and 28 October 2021 to Question 59749, whether any ingredients used solely for cosmetics products are tested on animals in the UK to comply with UK REACH as of 9 February 2022; whether she has plans to allow such testing in future; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government can confirm, there has been no change to, and there is no plan to change, any of the legislation related to regulatory testing using animals in the UK.
This includes, but not limited to, the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Act 2013, UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act.
The Government can confirm that animal testing may be legally performed, as a last resort, where no alternatives exist, where information is required under UK REACH to protect human or animal health and/or the environment. This could include ingredients for which, at the time of testing, the sole anticipated use is in cosmetic products.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to (a) maintain and (b) enforce the ban on animal testing of cosmetics.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government can confirm that the ‘testing’ and ‘manufacturing’ bans of animal testing of cosmetics are maintained and enforced.
Animal testing of cosmetics to permit their marketing for consumer use has been banned in the UK since 1998 and it is illegal to test cosmetic products, or their ingredients, on animals if that testing is to meet the requirements of the Cosmetics Regulations 2009.
Chemicals legislation to protect human health and the environment may require animal testing as a last resort where there are no alternatives under the UK REACH Regulations. However, this does not include finished cosmetic products.