Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2026 to Question 27159, what steps her Department is taking to review existing project licenses authorising the use of dogs for regulatory toxicology as scientifically satisfactory non-animal methods become available; and what measurable reduction in the number of dogs used for regulatory toxicology she expects as a result of its strategy to phase out the use of animals in scientific research.

The Government’s first responsibility is to protect the public. Safety testing remains essential to ensure that medicines and other products do not create unacceptable risks. We will therefore not remove established requirements until robust alternatives are validated and accepted for their intended regulatory purpose.

This is consistent with our ambition to replace animals in science. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, dogs may be used only where no scientifically satisfactory non-animal method is available. That requirement applies throughout a project licence, and authorised work must change where new evidence means animal use is no longer justified.

By 2030, the Government aims for validated alternatives to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by at least 35% in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies and 50% in dedicated cardiovascular safety studies. We will drive reductions as quickly as scientific progress allows, but will not set an arbitrary overall target that could put numerical reduction ahead of public safety.

We will not trade away public safety, but nor will we permit animal use where reliable alternatives can provide the necessary protection.