Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 48655 on Shellfish; Animal Experiments, for what reason her Department is awaiting a decision from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Animal Welfare Act; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State on that topic.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which provides a framework for animal protection and welfare. It is therefore within Defra's expertise to consider if decapods should come under the Animal Welfare Act. Such action would then have implications for the use of decapods in scientific research.