Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the incident described in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s annual reports for 2019-2021 in which boxes containing 112 live rats were transferred to a compactor in error and the animals were crushed; and what steps she will take to prevent such incidents from occurring in future.

The Home Office take any allegations regarding non-compliance with the law, the Code of Practice or individual licence conditions very seriously.

The Compliance Policy, found here: (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) explains how the Regulator identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies aimed to minimise the risk of recurrence.

The Regulator focusses on delivering the right sanctions to achieve better compliance outcomes.