Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the US Food and Drug Administration's publication entitled Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies, published on 10 April 2025.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements for their use. The Government has reviewed the FDA roadmap and is engaging with the MHRA on how to accelerate the science-led adoption of alternatives to the use of animals for drug development and testing. The Government will publish a strategy later this year that will support this ambition and accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods across the biosciences.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help develop supply chains for (a) compound semiconductors and (b) other critical semiconductor materials.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is supporting the development of supply chains for compound semiconductors and other critical semiconductor materials as part of our work to deliver the upcoming Industrial Strategy, which includes Digital and Technologies as a priority growth-driving sector. We recently secured a £250 million investment from one of the world’s largest manufacturers of semiconductors - Vishay Technologies – into the UK’s largest semiconductor facility as part of plans to develop large-scale compound semiconductor manufacturing in the UK, supported by the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund. Investments such as this will help develop UK supply chains in this high growth area of technology.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Lethal Dose 50 test on animals.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The UK continues to lead the way in seeking the international adoption of improved test methods that replace, reduce or refine the use of animals in scientific procedures.

Some authorised medicines in the UK include quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. These tests account for the LD50 cases still conducted.

Within the UK framework, regulators follow the principles of the 3Rs - to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in tests. This is a legal requirement for all work conducted. However, it is not presently possible to replace all of the existing animal tests with non-animal replacements.

The Government invests £10m annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to accelerate the development and adoption of 3Rs approaches.

Through the forthcoming alternatives strategy, the Government will seek to accelerate the validation of alternative methods and their uptake for regulatory decision making.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the semiconductor skills package increases skills in science sectors.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The £4.75 million semiconductor skills package will increase the supply of skilled science and engineering workers. It includes school outreach in regional clusters, chip design courses for undergraduates, and a flagship semiconductor bursary scheme for 300 students starting Electronics and Electrical Engineering degrees, all of which will increase skill supply for the UK’s sector. This initiative will help key growth hubs like the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster access the expertise needed to thrive and for the UK sector to achieve projected revenues of £16.7 billion by 2030.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the treatment of Christian (a) leaders and (b) communities in Nicaragua.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We share widespread international concern about the relentless suppression of human rights in Nicaragua, including in relation to freedom of religion or belief, which the UK remains committed to championing for all. We continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to re-establish democratic freedoms through our engagements in country and with the Nicaraguan Embassy in London, and through our public statements in international fora. We most recently raised these concerns on 28 February 2025 at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds

Use of swift bricks

Prayer for Pentecost

Christian persecution in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Found: Sir Bernard Jenkin (Conservative, Harwich and North Essex) (added 4 Dec 2024) 4 of 5 (80.0%) Ruth Jones

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Jones (Chair); David Chadwick; Ann Davies; Gill German; Ben

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Jones (Chair); David Chadwick; Ann Davies; Gill German; Claire

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Jones MP Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee

Found: Hillier Liam Byrne Bill Esterson Mr Toby Perkins Mr Alistair Carmichael Florence Eshalomi Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Hillier Liam Byrne Bill Esterson Mr Toby Perkins Mr Alistair Carmichael Florence Eshalomi Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Ms Marie Rimmer Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Ms Marie Rimmer Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Ms Marie Rimmer Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Ms Marie Rimmer Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Adam Jogee Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Adam Jogee Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mary Glindon Dame Meg Hillier Kate Osamor Lillian Jones Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones

Found: Darlington Torcuil Crichton Helen Hayes Richard Baker Chris Kane Antonia Bance Alison Taylor Ruth Jones