Written questions by Riddell-Carpenter.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to accelerate the development and adoption of non-animal methods for sepsis research.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 December 2025 to Question UIN 94115.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure effective collaboration with (a) regulators, (b) industry, (c) academia and (d) civil society organisations in the delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing. The strategy was developed with regulators, industry, academia and civil society and this engagement will continue during implementation of the strategy. Regulators will be represented within new governance structures as part of the implementation process, and we will work closely with experts across these sectors to ensure the strategy remains science‑led, up to date and focused on driving the development, validation and uptake of advanced non‑animal methods.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the funding to deliver the Replacing Animals in Science strategy; and whether funding for delivery bodies will be provided on a ring-fenced, multi-year basis.

The Government has announced £75m of funding to accelerate alternatives and innovation, with new capabilities being developed across the UK. This funding will help bring forward advanced testing methods that can save lives and support a faster, science‑led route to regulation. £60 million of this is ring‑fenced, multi‑year funding secured through the 2025 Spending Review to provide long‑term stability for strategic programmes. The Department remains fully committed to delivering the actions set out in the Replacing Animals in Science strategy through the funding secured in the Review.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including specific, time-bound targets and milestones for the replacement of animal experiments with non-animal methods.

Transparent targets and milestones and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy will be published later in 2026. It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements for their use. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting arbitrary timelines for overall reduction, but we will publish timelines for specific actions.

Innovation and Technology, what metrics will be used to measure progress in reducing the number of animals used in scientific research; and how often this data will be published.

Transparent targets and milestones and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy will be published later in 2026. It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements for their use. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting arbitrary timelines for overall reduction, but we will publish timelines for specific actions.

Innovation and Technology, what governance arrangements are in place to oversee delivery of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy; how progress on the strategy will be monitored across Government; and what steps he will take to ensure sustained ministerial leadership throughout this Parliament.

The Department is working closely with colleagues across Government to strengthen the coordination, development, validation and uptake of non‑animal methods. The Replacing Animals in Science strategy commits to establish governance structures to oversee progress and delivery of the strategies actions, including a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess and monitor the delivery of the strategy. The first cross‑departmental ministerial meeting on the delivery of the strategy is scheduled to take place next month and will provide a formal mechanism to drive progress and ensure alignment across policy areas.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking through the Building Digital UK programme to improve broadband access in rural areas; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress towards achieving universal gigabit-capable coverage in communities most at risk of digital exclusion.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.According to the independent website, Thinkbroadband.com, 89% of premises in the UK already have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection. To extend this further and achieve our goal of 99% coverage by 2032, more than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.These are premises that fall predominantly in rural areas, many of which may otherwise be at risk of digital exclusion due to lack of access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection via commercial delivery.Building Digital UK (BDUK) reports on delivery progress through its annual report and quarterly official statistics. The latest annual report was published on 23 October 2025.