Written questions by Jones.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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 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 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.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to give wildlife crime notifiable status.

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.There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can be investigated as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

What recent discussions her Department has had with licence holders on reporting the number of animals bred for scientific purposes and not used in procedures at their establishment.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures. This position has been communicated to all stakeholder groups, including the life science sector.

With reference to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 59099 on Animal Experiments, when she expects the review to conclude.

We intend for a position to be publicised later in 2025.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency of the publication of statistics on the number of animals that are bred for use in scientific procedures but not used.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims made on the grounds of religious persecution from (a) Nigeria, (b) Eritrea and c) Pakistan between December 2001 and December 2024; and what steps she is taken to ensure claims are processed (i) fairly and (ii) efficiently.

We do not publish the number of asylum claims that were granted based on religious persecution. This information is not recorded in a reportable format. Information regarding initial decisions on asylum applications, by outcome, is contained within ASY_D02 tab of the Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement dataset on GOV.UK at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Detailed Home Office policy guidance provides a framework for considering asylum claims. All caseworkers receive extensive training to consider claims objectively and impartially, and they receive mentoring support before interviewing claimants and making such decisions. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Lethal Dose 50 test on animals.

The UK continues to lead the way in seeking the international adoption of improved test methods that replace, reduce or refine the use of animals in scientific procedures.Some authorised medicines in the UK include quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. These tests account for the LD50 cases still conducted.Within the UK framework, regulators follow the principles of the 3Rs - to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in tests. This is a legal requirement for all work conducted. However, it is not presently possible to replace all of the existing animal tests with non-animal replacements.The Government invests £10m annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to accelerate the development and adoption of 3Rs approaches.Through the forthcoming alternatives strategy, the Government will seek to accelerate the validation of alternative methods and their uptake for regulatory decision making.

With reference to Table 7.3 : Experimental procedures by species of animal: regulatory use by origin of legislative requirement, Great Britain 2014 to 2023 of her Department’s Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2023, published on 11 September 2024, which UK legislative requirements were intended to be satisfied by the 12 procedures carried out on beagles.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2023, Table 7.3, the 12 procedures carried out on beagles were to satisfy legislative requirements on the testing of medicinal products for human use.