Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commit to the (a) phasing out the use of animals in experiments and (b) phasing in of non-animal alternatives as soon as it is scientifically possible to do so; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government is clear that the use of animals in science is justified, for the benefits it brings to human, animal and environmental health and safety.
The Government is committed to assuring that those animals used in science are protected. The legal framework in the UK requires that animals are only ever used in scientific procedures where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.
The Government continues to actively support and fund alternatives to the use of animals. The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) leads on developing and sharing techniques in the UK and internationally.
Since the NC3Rs was launched in 2004, it has invested £77 million in research towards developing new approaches to Replace, Reduce and Refine the use of animals in scientific procedures, and an additional £32 million through its CRACK IT programme for SMEs and universities to work with the pharmaceutical and chemical industries on collaborative 3Rs projects that aim to generate commercial opportunities in this area.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to World Animal Free Research Day on 27 May 2022, if she will take steps to recognise the role played by domestic organisations, such as Animal Free Research UK, in developing innovative alternatives to animal experiments; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government continues to engage with organisations that promote alternatives to the use of animals and to actively support and fund the development and dissemination of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement).
This is achieved through funding UK Research and Innovation who both fund the National Centre for the 3Rs and research through Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council into the development of alternatives.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, following the publication of her Department's report, Supporting male victims of crimes considered violence against women and girls, on 5 May 2022, what plans she has to support male victims of crimes considered violence against men and boys.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
This Government is absolutely committed to supporting all victims of crimes, such as rape, domestic abuse, stalking and so called ‘honour’-based abuse . These crimes have absolutely no place in our society, and we are determined to work with the police and other key partners to confront them wherever they appear.
Both the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan are clear that they apply to all victims of these crimes, and male victims will benefit from the support and provisions that they contain.
However, we recognise that there are some specific challenges that men and boys may face. Therefore, in 2019 we published the first ever statement focused on male victims of these crimes. In March, we published a refreshed policy paper “Supporting male victims”, an informational resource on the male victims’ landscape, including the specific challenges male victims face; an outline to the support services outlook; and a guide to developing best practice.
In addition, the Government funds a range of organisations that provide specialist support to male victims – this includes, from 2019-2022, £168,000 a year for the Men’s Advice Line, a national helpline for male victims of domestic abuse, run by the charity Respect.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inspectors were in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit as at 25 February 2022; and how that figure compares to the inspectors in post in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The number of inspectors in post within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit is as follows. On 25 February 2022 the number of Inspectors in post was 19 individuals. At the end of 2019, 2020 and 2021, the number of Inspectors in post was 24, 25 and 20 individuals, respectively.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Committee's report entitled Review of the harm benefit analysis in the use of animals in research, what steps her Department has taken to implement the 17 recommendations pertaining to the regulatory framework around the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Home Office responded to the Animals in Science Committee’s (ASC) report on a review of harm-benefit analysis in the use of animals in research on 21 May 2020.
The Home Office accepted the 17 recommendations pertaining to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and indicated how it intended to implement the recommendations.
The Home Office has regularly updated the ASC and stakeholders on progress, and wider issues, at scheduled meetings. In particular, the Home Office has updated ASC and stakeholders on reforms to the regulatory delivery model, including the approach to audit, and updates to the e-licensing system. Further information is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
What steps her Department is taking to help ensure the effective implementation of the Beating Crime Plan.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Beating Crime Plan sets out the Government’s blueprint for cutting crime, protecting the public and increasing confidence in the Criminal Justice System.
Since its publication, we have been working with partners across government, policing and other law enforcement agencies to deliver the commitments we have made to the public.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to include housing availability in the development of immigration policy.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Home Office publishes Impact Assessments which analyse the impacts of migration policy changes, including quantified and unquantified costs and benefits.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans for her Department's policy to only allow non-human primates who are the offspring of those bred in captivity or who are sourced from self-sustaining colonies that do not trap monkeys in the wild to be used in scientific research in line with the EU policy due to be implemented in 2022.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The requirement of EU Directive 2010/63/EU that non-human primates cannot be sourced from the wild for breeding within a self-sustaining colony is already implemented for Marmosets, as stated in the UK legislation.
The UK legislation presently requires that all non-human primates used in research are bred specifically for research, so wild caught animals cannot not be used for procedures.
Establishments that have a licence to breed other primate species must have a strategy in place to increase the proportion of primates bred from primates bred in captivity.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the longest interval was between visits made by officials of her Department to any establishment designated as breeding, supplying or using animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Home Office Regulator inspects all establishments at a frequency that is fully compliant with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (1986). The Regulator aims to inspect all establishments at least once a year. The Regulator also undertakes a governance review of each establishment on an annual basis.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with respect to Section 18, 2(b) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, how many and what proportion of inspection visits carried out by officials of her Department to establishments designated as breeding, supplying or using animals during (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019 were without notice; and whether she has plans to increase those type of inspection visits.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Inspections are conducted by the Home Office in accordance with the requirements of ASPA and according to risk. In 2017, 59% of inspection visits were unannounced, 2018 63% and 2019 36%. Full details are published in the Regulator’s annual reports available at: Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual reports - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office inspects establishments at a frequency that is compliant with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (1986). Both announced and unannounced inspections are undertaken, depending on the regulatory outcomes required. No plans have been made to change the frequency of unannounced visits.