Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101926 on MBR Acres: Animal Welfare, what the outcome was of the announced audit in November 2025.

The announced audit carried out at MBR Acres in November 2025 identified no critical or major findings, and no low‑level concerns. Three minor findings were identified and, where required, actions to address these areas were issued to the establishment. The minor findings involved a small amount of rust on a surface, small areas of floor damage in a walkway, and a small portion of loose drain cover which was dealt with immediately.

ASRU conducts both announced and unannounced audits in line with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), using a risk‑informed approach.

Audit frequency is determined by a range of factors including consideration of an establishment’s compliance history, the nature and scale of licensed activities, the species and numbers of animals used, and the licence holder’s record.

As a minimum, ASRU audits a third of all establishments each year and audits all establishments carrying out regulated procedures on non‑human primates annually, as required by ASPA. ASPA does not mandate whether these audits are announced or unannounced and does not mandate a specific frequency for unannounced audits.

ASRU has planned to increase the number of unannounced audits as part of its work to strength regulatory oversight. ASRU has also increased its number of inspectors, enabling a greater volume of risk-based audits across the system.