Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of animals involved in non-compliance cases in British laboratories.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has published its compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur. The Regulator’s published compliance policy aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.

The Regulator is undertaking a structured programme of reforms. This will increase the total number of Inspectors from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025.