Written questions by Race.

With reference to the report by the Animals in Science Committee entitled Review of antibody licences, published on 20 October 2022, whether the Animals in Science Committee plans to publish an updated review; and whether her Department plans to provide funding for further research on this issue.

Following a review by the Animals in Science Committee in 2022 on licences for the production of antibodies, the Animals in Science Regulator implemented published changes to strengthen the requirement for robust justifications. This included an additional condition placed on all new antibody project licence applications that requires applicants to justify they have fully considered all recommendations in the report. Further actions of communicating the report, embedding changes in the Regulator and conducting Regulatory Reform that will strengthen delivery of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) have also been implemented.Project licence proposals for research on animals for which there is no non-animal alternative must comply fully with the 3Rs. This assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. This is achieved through UK Research and Innovation who fund the National Centre for the 3Rs and research into the development of alternatives through Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support accelerating the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year.

What recent progress her Department has made on replacing the use of animals with non-animal methods for antibody production; and whether her Department is taking steps to accelerate this process.

Following a review by the Animals in Science Committee in 2022 on licences for the production of antibodies, the Animals in Science Regulator implemented published changes to strengthen the requirement for robust justifications. This included an additional condition placed on all new antibody project licence applications that requires applicants to justify they have fully considered all recommendations in the report. Further actions of communicating the report, embedding changes in the Regulator and conducting Regulatory Reform that will strengthen delivery of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) have also been implemented.Project licence proposals for research on animals for which there is no non-animal alternative must comply fully with the 3Rs. This assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. This is achieved through UK Research and Innovation who fund the National Centre for the 3Rs and research into the development of alternatives through Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support accelerating the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that an adequate justification is provided when animals are used in antibody production.

Following a review by the Animals in Science Committee in 2022 on licences for the production of antibodies, the Animals in Science Regulator implemented published changes to strengthen the requirement for robust justifications. This included an additional condition placed on all new antibody project licence applications that requires applicants to justify they have fully considered all recommendations in the report. Further actions of communicating the report, embedding changes in the Regulator and conducting Regulatory Reform that will strengthen delivery of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) have also been implemented.Project licence proposals for research on animals for which there is no non-animal alternative must comply fully with the 3Rs. This assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. This is achieved through UK Research and Innovation who fund the National Centre for the 3Rs and research into the development of alternatives through Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support accelerating the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving multi-agency teams to improve (a) early intervention and (b) support for young people.

Effective joint working, at both a cross-Government and local agency level, is critical to ensuring that effective early intervention and support for young people is delivered.These values are at the heart of the Young Futures Programme, which is bringing departments together from across Government (including the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office), to establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.The Young Futures Programme will bring local partners together across England and Wales to intervene earlier, ensuring vulnerable children and young people are identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating opportunities for young people in their communities, through the provision of open access to mental health and careers support.Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will look to build on the excellent multi-agency working delivered through Violence Reduction Units and the Serious Violence Duty, and using the strong networks that have been created to improve how we identify, reach, and support young people at risk of being drawn into crime.

What plans she has for funding the (a) Revenge Porn Helpline and (b) StopNCII.org website in the next five years.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG), including so-called ‘revenge porn’ can have devastating consequences on victims. We have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG in a decade, and we have committed to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, ensuring that those who create these images without consent face appropriate punishment.Following the spending review announcements in October, the Home Office is now deciding how the total funding settlement is allocated across the organisation, to deliver the Government’s priorities.

What steps her Department is taking to end the use of hotel accommodation for women and girls seeking asylum.

We are working to fix the asylum system, clearing the backlog to reduce demand on accommodation and ending the use of hotels, including for women and girls.