Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will suspend all new generic service licences for animal experiments whilst conducting a review of all currently held generic licenses to determine (a) the type and purpose of animal experiments conducted, (b) whether appropriate harm-benefit analysis is being undertaken and (c) what steps are taken to follow the 3Rs (replacing, reducing or refining the use of animals) wherever possible under those generic licences.

The Government will continue to grant service licences in accordance with the rigorous requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).

Service licences support regulatory testing required to meet legal and international standards for the authorisation of medicines and the appropriate regulatory routes for other products, materials and devices. These studies provide essential non-clinical safety data, including on toxicity, how substances are processed in the body, and their effects on organs, to support safe progression to first-in-human trials.

All project licence applications, including generic service licences, are subject to a rigorous harm–benefit analysis as required under ASPA. Where licences cover a class of studies rather than named substances, the assessment focuses on the scientific objectives and regulatory safety questions being addressed, and the extent to which the work is likely to deliver benefits, such as supporting the safe development and use of medicines.

The 3Rs, replacement, reduction and refinement, are a legal requirement under ASPA and must be fully applied in every project. Applicants must demonstrate consideration of the 3Rs before submission, and all applications are assessed by Home Office Inspectors to ensure that no viable non-animal alternatives exist, that animal numbers are minimised, and that methods are refined to reduce suffering. This assessment is supported by continuous scrutiny after a licence is granted. ASRU conducts announced and unannounced audits, reviewing records and practices to ensure the 3Rs continue to be applied and that licence conditions remain appropriate.

In November 2025, the Government published its strategy, “Replacing animals in science: a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods