Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the proposed roadmap for the phasing out animal testing for chemicals being developed by the European Commission.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting alternatives to animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. We have reviewed the European Commission's (EC) Life Sciences Strategy and engaged with the European Medicines Agency on accelerating the science-led adoption of alternatives for a range of uses of animals in science, including chemicals, medicines and cosmetics. Government officials regularly attend international meetings to collaborate on best practice and consider approaches to reducing reliance on animal testing, including attending European Commission workshops on the EC roadmap to phasing out animal testing for chemicals.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he last met with representatives of the WASPI campaign.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from WASPI on 5th September 2024 to hear their experiences directly, the first Minister to do so in eight years.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to publish the alternative methods to animal testing strategy.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.
The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods by the end of this year.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 implications for her policies on phasing out animal testing of the Federal Drug Agency's Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies, published in April 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn to the answer that was provided on 15 May 2025 to Question UIN 51423.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) physical assault and (b) death threats of 20 Christians on 21 September following the implementation of a new anti-conversion law in Rajasthan, India.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Any reports of physical assaults and death threats are concerning. We condemn all forms of violence and intimidation against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, no matter the individual or faith involved. Our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India track developments in this space and engage with civil society organisations and religious representatives to promote tolerance and respect between communities. India is one of ten priority countries under the UK's FoRB Strategy, and we continue to monitor developments closely. We urge all governments to uphold the rights enshrined in international human rights law, including the right to practice and propagate one's religion freely and without fear.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) quality and (b) availability of animal welfare data published by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency hold all the data related to its regulatory activity on animal welfare; they are extrapolated and made available regularly from the databases held by the relevant teams for reporting purposes. APHA has a continuing commitment to quality assurance and there are appropriate checks of the data before it is included in report for England, Scotland and Wales.
Defra publish data in the Multi-annual National Control Plan (MANCP) annual reports, relating to animal welfare official controls and enforcement activities undertaken within Great Britain. Defra is not considering increasing the amount of official reporting beyond that already published in these annual reports.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to increase the amount of animal welfare data published by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency hold all the data related to its regulatory activity on animal welfare; they are extrapolated and made available regularly from the databases held by the relevant teams for reporting purposes. APHA has a continuing commitment to quality assurance and there are appropriate checks of the data before it is included in report for England, Scotland and Wales.
Defra publish data in the Multi-annual National Control Plan (MANCP) annual reports, relating to animal welfare official controls and enforcement activities undertaken within Great Britain. Defra is not considering increasing the amount of official reporting beyond that already published in these annual reports.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in protecting animals used in science.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides a robust and rigorous regulatory framework that protects animals used in science. It requires that the principles of the 3Rs - replacement, reduction and refinement - are followed so that animals are only used where there are no alternatives, the minimum number of animals are used, and the most refined procedures for using animals are employed to minimise harm. Work is being undertaken to restate and replace EU provisions within domestic law following EU exit. This will ensure we retain the highest standards for animal protection. At this time, there are no further changes planned to ASPA, but this legislation is kept under review.
In 2023, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) undertook a comprehensive exercise to review its operating model and organisational design which identified where changes could be made to enhance its regulatory effectiveness. On 14 October 2024, the Government announced via written ministerial statement that ASRU would make reforms to its organisational design to most effectively deliver its purpose of protecting animals through maintaining compliance with ASPA.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for protecting animals used in science.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides a robust and rigorous regulatory framework that protects animals used in science. It requires that the principles of the 3Rs - replacement, reduction and refinement - are followed so that animals are only used where there are no alternatives, the minimum number of animals are used, and the most refined procedures for using animals are employed to minimise harm. Work is being undertaken to restate and replace EU provisions within domestic law following EU exit. This will ensure we retain the highest standards for animal protection. At this time, there are no further changes planned to ASPA, but this legislation is kept under review.
In 2023, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) undertook a comprehensive exercise to review its operating model and organisational design which identified where changes could be made to enhance its regulatory effectiveness. On 14 October 2024, the Government announced via written ministerial statement that ASRU would make reforms to its organisational design to most effectively deliver its purpose of protecting animals through maintaining compliance with ASPA.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he she made of the potential impact of (a) the Coalfield Regeneration Trust and (b) other charities on community wealth building in Welsh coalfield communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise the excellent work being carried out by a range of charities, including the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, in support of coalfield communities across Wales.
This Government is committed to ensuring that communities across Britain, including coalfield communities, can build stronger, brighter futures.
Through our Pride in Place Programme, 244 neighbourhoods will receive up to £20 million in funding and support over 10 years. Nine Local Authorities in Wales will benefit from Phase 2 of the programme, such as Carmarthenshire and Caerphilly, which have proud coalmining histories. These areas will join five Phase 1 communities where work is already underway, taking the total to fourteen local authorities across Wales sharing £280 million. Pride in Place boards are provided with a list of pre-approved interventions and will be given the autonomy to pursue the changes that their community want to see.