Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to support human-relevant science.
Answered by Ben Wallace
This Government promotes advances in biomedical science and technologies that include stem cell research, in vitro systems that mimic the function of human organs, imaging and new computer modelling techniques.
These advances are providing new opportunities to reduce reliance on the use of animals in research. Animals can only be used where there is no practicable alternatives and where the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) have been fully implemented. There are no plans to legislate for conducting human-relevant science.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the merits of the industry campaign One Too Many to educate passengers about the dangers of disruptive behaviour at airports.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government welcomes the One Too Many campaign for the contribution it makes in raising public awareness of a zero-tolerance approach to passengers who get drunk and act in a disruptive way.
The participation of many airports, airline and airside licensed premises in the One Too Many campaign is positive. It forms part of wider efforts by the aviation industry, such as a Code of Practice on Drunk and Disorderly Passengers and improved staff training, to tackle this rare but unacceptable behaviour.
Prompted by concerns about such behaviour, the Government published a Call for Evidence on airside alcohol licensing at international airports in England and Wales last November. Our response will be published shortly.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to support convenience retailers in Crawley that lost an estimated £160,211 from shop theft; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
All forms of retail crime are unacceptable, and everyone has the right to feel safe at work.
I chair the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) which brings together partners including the police, trade bodies – including the Association of Convenience Stores - and retailers and is overseeing a range of work to tackle retail crime. This includes the collation and dissemination of good practice and developing guidance on the use of Impact Statements for Business, which give victims of business crime the opportunity to set out the impact the crime has had on the business, including, for example, financial loss. The NRCSG also continues to work with retailers to improve the management and response to shop theft using a partnership approach according to local circumstances.
On 21 January I announced that we will launch a call for evidence on violence and abuse towards shop workers to strengthen our understanding of this issue, including how existing legislation is being applied.
In addition, the Sentencing Council is reviewing its guidelines on assault and a consultation on a revised guideline is anticipated to commence this Summer.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the gun licensing regime to air weapons that have a muzzle energy of more than one joule.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We are reviewing the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales. We have asked for the views of interested parties by 6 February 2018 on a range of issues, including manufacturing standards, secure storage and whether current arrangements are sufficient to prevent children gaining access to air weapons. As part of the review, we are looking at the arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland where air weapons with a muzzle energy of more than one joule are subject to licensing regimes. We will publish the outcome of the review in due course.
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 (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, how many project licence applications the Home Office rejected in 2016, 2015 and 2014.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office does not keep records of project licence applications that have been rejected or withdrawn at either the concept or the drafting stage of the application process. The Secretary of State has not rejected any of the recommendations for granting project licences made by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors between 2014 and 2016.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of regulated animal procedures conducted in 2016 were funded, or part-funded, by registered charities.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office does not hold information on the proportion of regulated animal procedures which are funded, or part-funded, by registered charities.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce use of live animals in experiments.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Home Office ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum. This is achieved through robustly applying the principles of the 3Rs which require that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; that the number of animals used is reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the results sought; and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what opportunities her Department is planning for interested stakeholders and members of the general public to participate in the forthcoming review of the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales.
Answered by Nick Hurd
I announced a review of the regulation of air weapons on Monday 9 October. Details of the scope of the review and how to participate will be set out shortly.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to introduce legislative proposals on laser pen attacks.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The police are able to use their core powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, such as the power of arrest, to deal with offences involving articles which are used, or intended to be used, to cause injury to persons. This would include laser pointers if they were used, or intended to be used, in such a way
The Home Office does not currently have plans to introduce further legislation.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will maintain a severity level of severe for procedures on non-human primates involved in neuroscience research that involves restraining the animals by the head and/or body for several hours every day and the use of fluid and/or food restriction while they are forced to undergo repetitive tests.
Answered by Ben Wallace
During the harm-benefit analysis the Home Office will assign the severity classification in accordance with European Directive 2010/63/EU which has been transposed into the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (as amended) and is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-version-of-aspa-1986
All non-human primate project licence applications which are potentially severe severity are also considered by the Government’s independent scientific advisory body, the Animals in Science Committee, for scrutiny and advice before a decision is taken on whether, and on what terms, they may be granted.