Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) investigations and inspections conducted by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) Inspectorate continue uninterrupted during the covid-19 crisis, (b) any staff shortages pertaining to requirements set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are reported so that the ASRU Inspectorate is able to assess the risk of non-compliance and (c) cases of non-compliance due to staff shortages are described and publicly reported.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Establishments are responsible for the welfare of animals in their care. The Home Office has published guidance on Business Continuity Planning for Establishments, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-animals-scientific-procedures-act-1986#business-continuity-planning-guidance.
The Animals in Science Regulation has currently suspended on-site inspection visits. Inspection activities to assess compliance are being continued remotely, for example by telephone and email. There may be occasions where on-site inspection visits need to be considered. Any such inspections will be planned on a case by case basis in accordance with the Government measures. Inspectors have specifically inspected establishments for preparedness for the care and protection of animals during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Cases of non-compliance continue to be investigated. Identified cases will be reported in the relevant Annual Report. Previous Annual Reports can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals have been experimented on in the UK in the last 12 months for household product ingredients.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office publishes data on the use of animals in scientific
procedures annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals.
The breakdown of the number of animals used for the testing of Household Product ingredients is published in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s Annual Reports at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports.
Data from 2018, for both numbers of procedures, and animals used in household product ingredient testing, will be published later this year.
The HO has published guidance on the Household Products testing ban, which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/660233/Household_products_testing_ban_advice_note.pdf
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many breaches of the regulations controlling the use of primates in research have been identified in each of the last three years.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office publishes all cases of non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act on an annual basis. The reports are available in the Home Office Regulator’s Annual Report at
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports.
Asked by: Andrew Bingham (Conservative - High Peak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for personal licences, project licences and establishment licences to carry out scientific research on animals have been (a) approved and (b) rejected in each year since 2010.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office does not keep records of licence applications that have been rejected or withdrawn at either the concept or the drafting stage.
The numbers of personal, project and establishment licences granted by the Home Office for scientific research on animals are made public every year in the Annual Report of the licensing body, the Animals In Science Regulation Unit. The Annual Reports can be obtained online at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals#publications
The table below sets out the figures for each year since 2010. Figures for 2015 will be published in due course.
Year | Establishment | Project | Personal |
2010 | 4 | 515 | 2664 |
2011 | 2 | 564 | 2550 |
2012 | 3 | 626 | 2639 |
2013 | 3 | 604 | 2770 |
2014 | 6 | 474 | 2949 |
Asked by: Andrew Bingham (Conservative - High Peak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for (a) personal, (b) project and (c) establishment licences for scientific research on animals have been granted in each year since 2010.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The numbers of personal, project and establishment licences granted by the Home Office for scientific research on animals are made public every year in the Annual Report of the licensing body, the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit. The Annual Reports can be obtained online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals#publications The table below sets out the figures for each year since 2010. Figures for 2015 will be published in due course.
Year | Establishment | Project | Personal |
2010 | 4 | 515 | 2664 |
2011 | 2 | 564 | 2550 |
2012 | 3 | 626 | 2639 |
2013 | 3 | 604 | 2770 |
2014 | 6 | 474 | 2949 |