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 implementing better animal research approval and dissemination mechanisms to assess whether animal use is required or whether alternatives could be used.

The strategy aims to improve animal research approval and dissemination mechanisms, to better assess where alternative methods can be used. This work is being taken forward through the commitments set out under the Discovery Research Themes, with activities to be initiated during 2026–27.

The Government will publish a delivery update later in 2026, alongside key performance indicators setting out progress across all elements of the strategy.