Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the numbers of inspectors in post to monitor animal experiments.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit Inspectorate plays a key role in the implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

I am committed to maintaining a strong and properly resourced inspectorate, and a full, risk-based programme of inspections. The relationship between inspectors, licence holders and animal care staff is crucial to the effective implementation of the regulatory framework. I will not jeopardise that relationship.

In June 2014 I agreed that the current number of inspectors was sufficient to meet the requirements of the 1986 Act following the implementation of European Directive 2010/63/EU. There are three key factors to be achieved from an effective risk based inspection regime, monitoring compliance, intelligence gathering and an educational role. The Inspectorate implements a risk-based approach to inspection and the effectiveness of the risk-based approach continues to be monitored.

I commissioned the Animals in Science Committee to provide me with an independent report to consider lessons to be learnt from reviews and
investigations into non-compliance stemming from allegations of non-compliance at Imperial College London. The ASC report was published on 2 July 2014 and it found no evidence of omission on the part of the Home Office Inspectorate in their oversight of ICL. I welcome and endorse its confidence in the work of inspectors.