Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress has she made in establishing a new UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM).

Responsibility for delivery of the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM) sits with the Office for Life Sciences. The strategy commits to the establishment of the Centre by the end of 2026, with delivery activity continuing beyond that point. Proposals for the Centre are currently in development, and a UKCVAM Advisory Board meeting took place this month. The Government will publish a delivery update, alongside key performance indicators on progress across all elements of the strategy, later in 2026.