Written questions by Mayer.

With reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s annual report 2023, published on 17 December 2024, for what reasons has there been an increase in incidents involving failure to provide adequate care for animals.

The Home Office takes non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 very seriously. The numbers of non-compliance cases vary in any given year. The total number of non-compliance cases reduced from 175 to 169 cases from 2022-23. Between these same years there was also a 48% reduction in adverse welfare cases.The reasons for each non-compliance involving failure to provide adequate care is provided in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report. The Regulator has not made any further assessment.

If she will make an assessment of trends in the level of violent crime during heatwaves in 2024.

There is a wide body of academic research pointing to associations between short-term increased temperatures and violent crime, but the Home Office has no plans to conduct any future specific research in this area in relation to heatwaves in 2024.

How many and what proportion of enquiries to Action Fraud were taken up in the latest period for which data is available.

Action Fraud is the national reporting point for fraud and cyber crime, operated by City of London Police who are the national policing lead for fraud. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) analyses reports from Action Fraud for key information and considers this together with data received from industry and other agencies.Where there are viable lines of enquiry, the NFIB bundles up linked reports into investigative packages which are then disseminated to law enforcement agencies for potential investigation. The Home Office publishes data on the total number of fraud and computer misuse offences recorded by the NFIB and the number then referred to forces for investigation annually.The most recent publication, covering the year ending March 2024, can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2023-to-2024.

How many flooding incidents the fire and rescue services have responded to in England in each year since 2010.

The latest available data (year ending March 2024) on the number flooding incidents attended by Fire and rescue Services in England is published in FIRE0901, available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67165e5c9242eecc6c849b5e/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire0901-241024.xlsxThis provides the number of flooding incidents by year for England, for each fire and rescue service (FRS), designated as either metropolitan or non-metropolitan, for each FRS, designated as either predominantly rural, significantly rural, or predominantly urban, and for each individual FRS.The table below provides the number of flooding incidents in England between the years ending March 2010 and years ending March 2024. Year ending MarchNumber of flooding incidents201015,069201116,784201211,886201317,908201414,486201512,391201613,714201714,120201815,674201913,370202015,543202114,922202215,959202317,837202417,797

How her Department plans to allocate the funding to tackle shoplifting announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

Shop theft is at a record high. This Government is taking strong action by removing the threshold for shop theft under £200 and making it a specific criminal offence for assaults on shopworkers.As announced in the Autumn Budget, and building on current Home Office funding, we will provide the following additional funding to help tackle retail crime:£5 million over three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to crack down on organised gangs targeting retailers;£2 million over three years to the National Business Crime Centre, a resource for police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime; and£100k in 2025-26 for the National Police Chiefs' Council for further training on prevention tactics.

Whether her Department has had discussions with police forces on the provision of training on potential inks between domestic violence and violence against animals.

The Government will treat violence against women and girls (VAWG) as a national emergency. We have set out our ambition to halve VAWG in a decade using every available lever.Committing violence towards a pet or an assistance animal or using them to control or coerce a victim should be considered as risk factors for domestic abuse and must be treated seriously by the police. It is essential that every force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes taking into account the relevant risk factors.We are committed to ensuring policing have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG. We are working closely with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to strengthen police training for all forms of VAWG, including domestic abuse.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) regulate and (b) monitor (i) MBR Acres and (ii) other breeding facilities to ensure compliance with animal welfare standards.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures. All establishments licenced to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including dogs.The Animals in Science Regulation Unit conducts both announced and unannounced audits to ensure establishments compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA.

What estimate she has made of number of beagles needed for use in laboratory experiments in the UK.

animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures. All establishments licenced to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including dogs. The majority of Beagles bred for use in science (85%) are for the purposes of regulatory testing under legislation on pharmaceutical products for human use. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry that require testing of medicines, and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit conducts both announced and unannounced audits to ensure establishments compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA. The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering. The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

What estimate she has made of the number of beagles being bred for use in laboratory experiments in the UK.

animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures. All establishments licenced to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including dogs. The majority of Beagles bred for use in science (85%) are for the purposes of regulatory testing under legislation on pharmaceutical products for human use. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry that require testing of medicines, and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit conducts both announced and unannounced audits to ensure establishments compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA. The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering. The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

What recent steps her Department has taken to protect the welfare of beagles bred for sale to animal testing facilities.

animals bred in the UK for use in scientific procedures. All establishments licenced to breed protected animals under ASPA are required to comply with the published Code of Practice, which sets out standards for the appropriate care and accommodation of animals, including dogs. The majority of Beagles bred for use in science (85%) are for the purposes of regulatory testing under legislation on pharmaceutical products for human use. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry that require testing of medicines, and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit conducts both announced and unannounced audits to ensure establishments compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with ASPA. The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering. The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

What discussions her Department has had with police forces on training on links between domestic violence and animal abuse.

This Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms. Achieving the mission of halving violence against women and girls in a decade will require a whole systems approach. Domestic abuse is a hidden crime and it is critical that all agencies and services that come into contact with victims can identify abuse, effectively assess risk and help victims access support.Domestic abuse can affect all parts of a victim’s life and relationships including, for example, through threats and harm to pets as a means of control. The Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance that accompanies the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 provides an explanation of the different characteristics of domestic abuse and includes reference to how pets can be used by perpetrators.It is essential that every police force has the right specialist capability to properly investigate these crimes. The College of Policing has developed specialist domestic abuse training, the Domestic Abuse Matters programme, which is being delivered in many police forces and this Government has committed to strengthening police training on Violence Against Women and Girls. We will work closely with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to do this.

If her Department will outline a planned timeline for the rollout of Young Futures hubs.

The Government is committed to rolling out a new Youth Futures programme, including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.Officials from across a range of departments are already working together, using evidence of what works to start to shape how the prevention partnerships and hubs will work in practice. As part of this we are engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the programme and explore options for its delivery, ensuring we are making use of the vast knowledge and experience that already exists. This includes considerations of the most suitable locations as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support.We will provide further detail on the future timelines for delivery as the work develops.