Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an overall timeline for the phase out of animal experimentation.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to reducing the use of animals in scientific research, and on 11th November published a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy).
It is not yet possible to replace all animal research due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will move as quickly as possible to reduce their use in line with scientific discovery of alternatives.