Written questions by Kyrke-Smith.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure regulators, industry, academia, civil society and NGOs can contribute on equal terms to shaping and overseeing delivery of the strategy entitled, Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

The Government consulted regulators, industry, academia and civil society during the development of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy and will continue to do so during strategy implementation, including via the Home Office-led forums. This includes collaboration with civil society organisations with expertise in this area, including animal welfare organisations and learned societies, and other interested groups. We will also include regulators within our governance, given the importance of regulatory acceptance. Any work to phase out animal testing and regulatory procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to track the progress of the 26 commitments, set out in the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, which will be delivered or started during 2026 and 2027 to prioritise the development and validation of alternative methods of using animals in science.

The Government’s strategy Replacing animals in science, commits to publish biennially from 2026 a list of alternative-methods research and development priorities, coalescing UK scientists around these areas and incentivising partnerships between research organisations, CROs and industry. To enable progress to be tracked against the 26 commitments set out in the strategy quarterly ministerial meetings are being held and there is a monthly reporting dashboard to ensure ministers can track progress.

Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to publish a strategy to advance the use of alternatives to animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to encourage collaboration between (a) industry, (b) researchers, (c) civil society and (d) the public on the most effective non-animal approaches to scientific research.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year which will outline how we will encourage collaboration between stakeholders, including industry, researchers, animal welfare organisations and civil society.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of conducting research on the impact of social media design on children's mental health.

Research is critical to ensure the safety of the products we interact with daily. This includes online platforms.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is considering options for research into the impact being online has on children and will shortly be making announcements.Alongside this, the Data Use and Access Bill contains a provision granting the Secretary of State power to create a framework enabling researchers to gain privacy-preserving access to online safety related data and conduct vital research into online trends, helping to support future action for a safer online world.