Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2020 to Question 1331 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, which provision of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) authorises the forced swim test under multiple generic project licences; whether the forced swim test is authorised to satisfy regulatory requirements; and for which regulatory requirements has the forced swim test been authorised under multiple generic project licences in the UK.

There is no specific provision in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) that authorises the forced swim test within multiple generic project licences. Project licence applications that include force swim test are authorised if the harm-benefit analysis is favourable.

The forced swim test may be needed to satisfy the requirements of a regulator. If a regulator requires the use of the forced swim test, the harms are considered as part of the harm-benefit analysis.

The Home Office does not hold information on the specific regulatory requirements for which the forced swim test has been authorised.