Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what steps she is taking to replace the use of specially protected species in scientific research with human-specific technologies.

The Government is committed to reducing and replacing the use of specially protected species in scientific research through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy. The strategy supports the development, validation and regulatory uptake of human-specific technologies, including advanced cell-based models, organ-on-a-chip systems, data-driven approaches and AI-enabled tools. It includes targeted ambitions to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates in specific areas of medicines development where scientifically justified and supported by validated alternatives. The use of specially protected species remains subject to stringent controls and is permitted only where no validated alternative exists.