Written questions by Robertson.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 67240 on Animals in Science Regulation Unit: Inspections, how many inspectors were in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit as of July 2025.

The Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit and ensure robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The number of Inspectors will increase from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025. This expansion will improve the Regulator’s capability to provide oversight and conduct inspections through regulation which is proportionate, targeted, robust and effective.The number of inspectors in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in July 2025 was 15 – the middle of the reform process. Numbers of inspectors are published in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report.The Government is fully committed to continuous improvement in regulation and strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation.

Pursuant to he Written Ministerial Statement on 14 October 2024, HCWS127, what progress she has made on reforming the Animals in Science Regulator to ensure that licence holders are compliant with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit and ensure robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The reforms are designed to enhance protections for animals used in science whilst supporting a high performing, transparent regulatory environment.As part of this programme the number of Inspectors is increasing from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025. This expansion will improve the Regulator’s capability to provide oversight, conduct inspections and support licence holders in meeting their statutory obligations.The reform programme includes a number of key elements: Enhanced governance through the establishment of a new governance board that will advise the Department on the Regulator’s performance; Specialist roles in the Regulator to focus on data, regulatory performance and quality monitoring to improve delivery of protections to animals; Improved Guidance to provide greater clarity and further revisions are in progress; and, Audit reform where a revised approach for the programme of audits of licensed establishments is under consideration which will allow the Regulator to better ensure compliance by effectively targeting resource in alignment with its objectives.These reforms reflect the Government’s strong commitment to continuous improvement in regulation and assuring that the UK remains a global leader in science and innovation.

How many inspectors are in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.

The Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit and ensure robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The reforms are designed to enhance protections for animals used in science whilst supporting a high performing, transparent regulatory environment.As part of this programme the number of Inspectors is increasing from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025. This expansion will improve the Regulator’s capability to provide oversight, conduct inspections and support licence holders in meeting their statutory obligations.The reform programme includes a number of key elements: Enhanced governance through the establishment of a new governance board that will advise the Department on the Regulator’s performance; Specialist roles in the Regulator to focus on data, regulatory performance and quality monitoring to improve delivery of protections to animals; Improved Guidance to provide greater clarity and further revisions are in progress; and, Audit reform where a revised approach for the programme of audits of licensed establishments is under consideration which will allow the Regulator to better ensure compliance by effectively targeting resource in alignment with its objectives.These reforms reflect the Government’s strong commitment to continuous improvement in regulation and assuring that the UK remains a global leader in science and innovation.

What steps her Department has taken to support research into the motivations of people who commit spiking offences.

The Home Office has recently completed the tender for a piece of academic research into the motivations of perpetrators who commit spiking offences. This project will help to fill a gap in research that was identified by a recent literature review on the subject and will have practical implications by helping to inform Home Office policy and practice going forward.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of existing data collection systems in capturing the scale of spiking incidents in the UK.

From April 2026, offences which involved spiking will be added to the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. This is the formal mechanism through which the Home Office collects data from all police forces in England and Wales. This will ensure that the Home Office has access to formal, standardised and regular reporting from the police on offences involving spiking.The Home Office will also look to utilise the National Data Quality Improvement Service (NDQIS), a computer-assisted classification tool, to greatly improve the analysis of the data it receives. NDQIS will have a range of benefits including being able to identify crimes which were facilitated by spiking, such as rape or sexual assault. We expect this to give us a better understanding of the scale of spiking and its use in enabling other crimes.

What assessment her Department has made of the importance of understanding offender motivation as part of the Government's strategy to tackle spiking.

The Home Office has recently completed the tender for a piece of academic research into the motivations of perpetrators who commit spiking offences. This project will help to fill a gap in research that was identified by a recent literature review on the subject and will have practical implications by helping to inform Home Office policy and practice going forward.

What steps her Department has taken to improve data collection on the prevalence of spiking.

From April 2026, offences which involved spiking will be added to the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. This is the formal mechanism through which the Home Office collects data from all police forces in England and Wales. This will ensure that the Home Office has access to formal, standardised and regular reporting from the police on offences involving spiking.The Home Office will also look to utilise the National Data Quality Improvement Service (NDQIS), a computer-assisted classification tool, to greatly improve the analysis of the data it receives. NDQIS will have a range of benefits including being able to identify crimes which were facilitated by spiking, such as rape or sexual assault. We expect this to give us a better understanding of the scale of spiking and its use in enabling other crimes.

What recent assessments her Department has made of trends in the number of spiking incidents.

Spiking is often underreported and this can make analysis of trends difficult.In order to improve our understanding of trends, from April 2026 offences which involve spiking will be added to the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. This is the formal mechanism through which the Home Office collects data from all police forces in England and Wales. This will ensure that the Home Office has access to formal, standardised and regular reporting from the police on offences involving spiking.

What steps she is taking to improve coordination between (a) healthcare providers and (b) law enforcement in responding to suspected spiking incidents.

It is crucial that all organisations that may be involved in supporting victims of spiking and collecting evidence (including those in the healthcare, hospitality and education sectors) do so in a joined-up way.The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) to assess options for schemes that promote a greater joining up between the police and other stakeholders on the collection of evidence samples from victims.

What training is provided to frontline police officers to improve the (a) identification and (b) handling of spiking cases.

The Government have introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill a new criminal offence for spiking, to help police better respond to this crime.The Home Office has funded specialist spiking training for staff in the hospitality industry to ensure they have the skills to better detect spiking incidents, support victims who have been spiked and support law enforcement with evidence collection.The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) on the development of police guidance across a range of VAWG crimes, including spiking.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) the Metropolitan Police have made an assessment of trends in the level of mopeds with L-plates being used in criminal activities in London.

The Home Office holds data on the number of incidents of crime recorded by the police in London.The Home Office does not hold data on whether a vehicle was used as part of the incident, the type of vehicle used, or whether the vehicle had an L plate fitted at the time of the incident.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 31403 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, when that project licence application was refused; for what reason it was refused; and what the intended purpose of the project licence was.

The project licence refused by the animals in science Regulator in November 2024 was for training and educational purposes. It was refused due to the existence of a scientifically satisfactory alternative.The structuring of the application process means that the number of applications refused is not an indicator for the robustness of the regulatory regime. The Government publishes extensive guidance for the regulated sector on applying for project licences.

How many applications for project licences to use animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were approved on average in each week in 2024.

In 2024, on average 17 applications for project licences to use animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were approved each week.The Government publishes extensive guidance for the regulated sector on applying for project licences. Applications are internally reviewed by an establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body before being submitted to the Regulator for assessment. Licence applications are then assessed by Inspectors; this includes conducting a harm-benefit assessment to determine whether the programme of work is favourable and meets the requirements of ASPA. A licence is only granted where this is deemed to be the case.

How many (a) inspectors were responsible for assessing project licence applications and (b) project licence applications were approved for licences to use animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2024.

The number of staff that are employed to process and issue project licences in the Home Office Regulator, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, are published in the Regulator's annual report accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports.In 2024, the Regulator had 12 Inspectors and 472 project licence applications were approved.The Regulator is currently undertaking a structured programme of reforms. This will increase the total number of Inspectors to 22 by end of 2025. The Regulator will then operate a flexibly resourced licensing function and allocate resource according to demand.

Whether she has had recent discussions with (a) technology companies, (b) legal experts and (c) privacy advocates on the potential implications for her policies of requiring companies to create backdoors into encrypted systems.

Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, legal experts and privacy advocates, on a range of policies and issues.Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

What steps her Department plans to take to ensure that Government access to encrypted data is compliant with human rights standards.

The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.The suggestion that cybersecurity and access to data by law enforcement are at odds is false. The Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is only obtained on an exceptional basis and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. It is entirely possible to have robust cyber security measures that guard against access to data by malicious actors whilst also ensuring data can be disclosed in response to specific authorised requests. Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, on a range of policies and issues.Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that backdoor access to encrypted data is not misused by unauthorised actors.

The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.The suggestion that cybersecurity and access to data by law enforcement are at odds is false. The Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is only obtained on an exceptional basis and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. It is entirely possible to have robust cyber security measures that guard against access to data by malicious actors whilst also ensuring data can be disclosed in response to specific authorised requests. Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, on a range of policies and issues.Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of requiring technology companies to build backdoors into encrypted systems on public (a) safety and (b) privacy.

The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.The suggestion that cybersecurity and access to data by law enforcement are at odds is false. The Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is only obtained on an exceptional basis and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. It is entirely possible to have robust cyber security measures that guard against access to data by malicious actors whilst also ensuring data can be disclosed in response to specific authorised requests. Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, on a range of policies and issues.Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

With reference to the Answer of 30 September 2024 to HL1115 Home Office: Equality, how many staff in his Department have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours since 1 January 2025.

The requested data is not readily available and could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid.

What steps her Department is taking to protect people's (a) privacy and (b) security in the context of Government access to encrypted data.

The UK has a longstanding position of protecting people’s privacy whilst also ensuring action can be taken against child sexual abusers and terrorists.The suggestion that cybersecurity and access to data by law enforcement are at odds is false. The Investigatory Powers Act contains robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and ensure that data is only obtained on an exceptional basis and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. It is entirely possible to have robust cyber security measures that guard against access to data by malicious actors whilst also ensuring data can be disclosed in response to specific authorised requests. Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly meet with key stakeholders, including technology companies, on a range of policies and issues.Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.