Written questions by Jones.

Whether physiotherapists will remain eligible for indefinite leave to remain after five years under her Department's proposed changes to migration rules.

Proposals for introducing an earned settlement model, as set out in the Command Paper “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement” (CP1448), were subject to a public consultation, which opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026.We are now reviewing and analysing the results of this to inform the development of the final model. The consultation sought views on the impact proposed changes might have on different groups and the case for exemptions for vulnerable groupings. Implementation of the earned settlement arrangements will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the number of unannounced audits by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit of establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 between 2019 and 2024.

As part of a structured programme of reform, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) is increasing the number of veterinary and medical inspectors from an average of 14.5 in 2023 to 22 in March 2026. This provides additional specialist resource to undertake regulatory assurance activities in the future. However, the number of audits undertaken should not be equated with impact, as the quality, depth and scope of audits are key determinants in the regulatory system.ASRU deploys both announced and unannounced audits to assurance compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and both are important tenets of the regulatory framework. Unannounced audits may be employed where there are specific concerns or potentially higher risks at an establishment. Announced audits can enable inspectors to observe scheduled procedures, speak to relevant staff and ensure that all information required is made available to form a complete assessment of compliance.

What assessment she has made of the numbers of animals being used in tests in order to satisfy international regulators despite a non-animal alternative being accepted in the UK; and what steps is she taking to reduce those numbers.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit has published guidance for applicants intending to conduct research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for regulated bodies outside the UK, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-and-testing-using-animals (see section entitled ‘Research for regulatory bodies outside the UK’).In summary, where there is a difference between the requested test and the lowest impact test used elsewhere, there must be associated benefit commensurate with allowing the higher impact test for that jurisdiction. This is aligned with the legally binding principle of the implementation of the 3Rs - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement.This Government has recently launched an Alternatives Strategy to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of non-animal alternatives. The strategy is backed by £75 million in investment for delivery with plans to establish a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods.

If she will consider i) increasing the number of wildlife crimes which are notifiable and ii) improving the consistency of the recording of wildlife crime by police forces.

There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics).Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

Whether she plans to review the effectiveness of enforcement of wildlife crimes as part of plans to a) review and b) strengthen penalties for cruelty against wildlife.

There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics).Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of existing penalties on preventing cruelty against wildlife.

There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics).Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

Whether she intends to publish guidance for (a) the Police and (b) the public on protests outside life science facilities using animals in research.

The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law.There is no statutory requirement for the Home Office to produce guidance for this instrument. However, the Home Office will work with the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing as the regulations are implemented to ensure forces understand their operational responsibilities.

When she plans to publish the results of the consultation on potential reforms to Section 24 of Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which closed on 13 June 2014.

In 2014, the then Government commenced a public consultation seeking views on section 24, with the aim of increasing openness and transparency. This work was paused due to changes in administration in 2015.Under this Government, the Home Office has been reviewing the matter internally, and the intention to clarify the position on Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 remains, taking account of the previous consultation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of The Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025 on the ability of the public to protest the use of beagles in scientific research.

On Thursday 27 November 2025, the Home Office laid an affirmative Statutory Instrument in Parliament to amend Section 7 and Section 8 of the Public Order Act 2023. This will amend the list of key national infrastructure within Section 7 of the Act, to add the Life Sciences sector and define the Life Sciences sector in Section 8 of the Act.Under Section 7 of the Act, a person commits an offence if:They do an act which interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure in England and Wales, andThey intend that act to interfere with the use or operation of such infrastructure or are reckless as to whether it will do so.The amendment is designed to address only certain behaviours impacting the Life Sciences sector. It does not ban protests. It specifically targets deliberate or reckless interference with infrastructure within the Life Sciences sector, that could undermine our sovereign capability to prepare for and respond to a pandemic.Whether an activity, online or otherwise, meets the criminal threshold within Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023 will be fact specific and is an operational matter for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts, who are all operationally independent from the government.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of The Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025 on the ability of (a) students and (b) academics to protest the use of animals in scientific research by universities.

On Thursday 27 November 2025, the Home Office laid an affirmative Statutory Instrument in Parliament to amend Section 7 and Section 8 of the Public Order Act 2023. This will amend the list of key national infrastructure within Section 7 of the Act, to add the Life Sciences sector and define the Life Sciences sector in Section 8 of the Act.The definition of ‘Life Sciences sector’ for the purpose of this legislation to be added to Section 8 of the Act is: “infrastructure that primarily facilitates pharmaceutical research, or the development or manufacturing of pharmaceutical products; or which is used in connection to activities authorised under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986”.Under Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a person commits an offence if:They do an act which interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure in England and Wales, andThey intend that act to interfere with the use or operation of such infrastructure or are reckless as to whether it will do so.The amendment is designed to address only certain behaviours impacting the Life Sciences sector. It does not ban protests. It specifically targets deliberate or reckless interference with infrastructure within the Life Sciences sector, that could undermine our sovereign capability to prepare for and respond to a pandemic.Whether an activity meets the criminal threshold within Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023 will be fact specific and is an operational matter for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts, who are all operationally independent from the government.

What estimate she has made of the number of animals involved in LD50 tests by type of animal; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those tests.

The Home Office publishes detailed annual statistics on the use of animals in science, including procedures for acute and sub-toxicity testing methods such as LD50 (Lethal Dose 50) and LC50 (Lethal Concentration 50). According to the latest published figures for 2024, there were 11,992 procedures in this category, and the statistics include a breakdown by species.All testing using protected animals, including the LD50 and LC50 tests, are subject to strict regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.These particular tests are internationally recognised methods for assessing toxicity and are required under guidelines set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations overseen by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Some authorised medicines in the UK necessitate quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption. The strategy is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods

With reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202528 on Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, when the policy work to clarify Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was (a) commenced, (b) paused and (c) resumed.

In 2014, the Government commenced a public consultation seeking views on section 24 with the aim of increasing openness and transparency. This work was paused due to changes in administration.The Home Office since resumed work on this issue and in 2022 a letter was sent from the responsible Minster to the Chair of the Animals in Science Committee setting out the intention to engage stakeholders on clarifying Section 24.Under this Government, the Home Office has been reviewing the matter internally and the intention to clarify the position on Section 24 remains.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for protecting animals used in science.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides a robust and rigorous regulatory framework that protects animals used in science. It requires that the principles of the 3Rs - replacement, reduction and refinement - are followed so that animals are only used where there are no alternatives, the minimum number of animals are used, and the most refined procedures for using animals are employed to minimise harm. Work is being undertaken to restate and replace EU provisions within domestic law following EU exit. This will ensure we retain the highest standards for animal protection. At this time, there are no further changes planned to ASPA, but this legislation is kept under review.In 2023, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) undertook a comprehensive exercise to review its operating model and organisational design which identified where changes could be made to enhance its regulatory effectiveness. On 14 October 2024, the Government announced via written ministerial statement that ASRU would make reforms to its organisational design to most effectively deliver its purpose of protecting animals through maintaining compliance with ASPA.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in protecting animals used in science.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides a robust and rigorous regulatory framework that protects animals used in science. It requires that the principles of the 3Rs - replacement, reduction and refinement - are followed so that animals are only used where there are no alternatives, the minimum number of animals are used, and the most refined procedures for using animals are employed to minimise harm. Work is being undertaken to restate and replace EU provisions within domestic law following EU exit. This will ensure we retain the highest standards for animal protection. At this time, there are no further changes planned to ASPA, but this legislation is kept under review.In 2023, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) undertook a comprehensive exercise to review its operating model and organisational design which identified where changes could be made to enhance its regulatory effectiveness. On 14 October 2024, the Government announced via written ministerial statement that ASRU would make reforms to its organisational design to most effectively deliver its purpose of protecting animals through maintaining compliance with ASPA.

With reference to Naturewatch Foundation's report entitled Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count, published on 9 September 2025, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of wildlife crimes which result in no further action.

The Home Office is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver their ‘Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy 2025-2029’. This is published by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), accessed here:https://www.nwcu.police.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NPCC-Wildlife-Rural-Crime-Strategy-2022-2025.pdfThe Home Office, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, directly funds the NWCU. The NWCU assists police forces and other law enforcement agencies in investigating wildlife crime.The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of wildlife crime offences, and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. The latest information, to the year ending March 2025, is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tablesInformation to the year ending June 2025 will be published on 23 October.

With reference to Naturewatch Foundation's report entitled Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count, published om 9 September 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of wildlife crimes being recorded under other miscellaneous crimes rather than according to its own dedicated recording standard on the (i) quality and (b) reliability of crime statistics.

To improve transparency around wildlife crime and to better identify these offences in national crime statistics the Home Office has already established a standalone classification which appears in the official statistics on crime published by the Office for National Statistics. These offences were previously hidden within the broader category of Miscellaneous Crimes against Society.There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable and include in the official crime statistics. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to the police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime. This includes supporting cases referred by Border Force to the National Crime Agency or to individual forces. The NWCU is also the UK policing focal point for EUROPOL and INTERPOL wildlife crime activity. The NWCU uses this information to produce strategic and tactical assessments of wildlife crime across the UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the poly-criminality of wildlife crime offenders.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

If she will hold discussions with the police on the potential merits of providing training to police officers on wildlife legislation.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

What steps she is taking to increase support for police working on wildlife crime.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

What discussions she has had with police forces on improving the harmonisation of record-keeping on animal-related crime between forces.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.