Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the 154,904 animals involved in non-compliance incidents in British laboratories in 2023.

The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The numbers of non-compliance cases vary in any given year. The total number of non-compliance cases reduced from 175 to 169 cases from 2022-23. Between these same years there was also a 48% reduction in adverse welfare cases.

The Home Office regulator reviews each non-compliance case and provides details in its annual report (www.gov.uk/government/publications/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-report-2023). Sanctions are applied in cases of non-compliance to reduce the risk of future non-compliance. Data regarding non-compliances is used to inform the risk-based audit programme.