Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Vallance of Balham on 2 June (HL245), what assessment they have made of the role of legislation in driving scientific innovation to facilitate the replacement of animal experimentation.

The Government has assessed that legislation provides an important baseline by requiring animals to be used in science only where no validated alternatives exist. Our immediate priority for driving innovation is therefore not further legislation, but accelerating the development, validation and regulatory uptake of alternative methods through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by investment, regulatory reform and delivery oversight. We will keep the legislative framework under review, but progress must remain science-led and aligned with evidence, regulators and partners.