Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is to process Surinder Singh applications, and how that compares with other types of applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme since that scheme's inception.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Current processing times for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme can be found at:
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: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the statement in the document entitled Additional Statistics on Breeding and Genotyping of Animals for Scientific Procedures, Great Britain 2017, published on 8 November 2018, that 1.81 million non–genetically altered animals were bred for but not used in regulated procedures, if the Government will bring forward plans to achieve a significant reduction in such breeding.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office will publish a framework for the efficient breeding of animals shortly. The framework has been piloted and used for at least the last year by both the Home Office Inspectorate and scientific establishments to drive best practice for efficient breeding. The framework is
focussed on the efficient breeding of genetically altered animals, yet also applies to non genetically altered animals.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued to universities engaged animal testing on the implementation of the principles of the 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction and Refinement.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office has published guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The guidance includes information on the implementation of the 3Rs and is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals#animals-in-science-regulation-unit-asru-guidance.
The Home Office regulator for the use of animals in science has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NC3Rs. The Memorandum of Understanding is published and available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734630/establishment-licence-holder-newsletter-august-2018.pdf
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on the review of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, published in 2014.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The government will issue a response to the consultation on the review of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in due course.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer on 6 September 2018 to Question 169147 on Animal Experiments, if the Government will introduce legislative proposals to bring regulations for the testing on animals of ingredients used in household products into line with those on ingredients used in cosmetics.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office has published clear guidance on the Household Products testing ban, which is available on Gov.uk
The Household Products Testing ban has been in place since 2015.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 27 of the report, Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2017, published by his Department on 19 July 2018 on the use of an neuromuscular blocking agent which did not also include a general anaesthetic, which species of animal was involved; and what procedures were conducted with that agent.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Neuromuscular blocking agents were licensed for use, without general anaesthetic, for basic research on zebra fish fry for the purposes of research into the functioning of the nervous system. The procedures authorised were non-invasive imaging. The procedures are not painful, and although at this stage the fry do not need to move for respiration, they are kept in water while being imaged.
The neuromuscular blockers ensure that swimming movements do not interfere with the highly sophisticated imaging of their nervous systems
This work was licensed following a robust Harm Benefit Analysis, consistent with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 27 the report, Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2017, published by his Department on 19 July 2018, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban animal testing for household product ingredients.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The HO has published clear guidance on the Household Products testing ban, which is available on Gov.uk
The Household Products Testing ban has been in place since 2015.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 14 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2017, published on 19 July 2018, for what reason there has been an 18 per cent increase in horse use since 2016.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The 2017 Annual Statistics show an increase in the number of scientific procedures involving horses from 8,948 procedures in 2016, to 10,600 procedures in 2017. This increase is accounted for by an increased collection of blood from those animals. Each blood collection is counted as a separate procedure and horses are used many times for this low severity procedure.
Blood products are used for a variety purposes, mainly human diagnostic tests. The increased number of procedures in 2017 reflects the increased demand for blood products by diagnostic and research laboratories. Over the same period there was a reduction in the number of new horses, used for the first time for this purpose, from 373 to 288.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government is seeking continued access to the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
As part of the negotiations the UK will discuss with the EU how best to continue cooperation in the important field of non-animal alternatives in scientific research.
Following the UK exiting the EU, UK legislation will fully retain the current requirement for the replacement of animal tests where practicable and the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement).