Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 11617, what her planned timeline is for the regulatory acceptance of alternatives in pharmacokinetic and cardiovascular safety studies involving dogs; and what interim metrics are being used to measure canine reduction before the publication of the performance framework.

The Replacing Animals in Science strategy includes a commitment to reduce the use of dogs in pharmacokinetic and cardiovascular safety studies by 35% by 2030, where scientifically justified and supported by validated alternatives. The Government is working with regulators, industry and other partners to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods needed to achieve this ambition. A publicly available dashboard of progress against the strategy’s key deliverables and key performance indicators is being developed, and the Government will publish a delivery update, alongside key performance indicators on progress across all elements of the strategy, later in 2026.