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Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 June 2026. It was answered by Sarah Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of the use of beagles bred at MBR Acres in UK laboratories for international research projects; how many such animals have been used in studies carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at facilities in the last five years; what the regulatory oversight and inspection arrangements are when data from those studies is submitted to foreign regulators; and what steps she is taking to ensure transparency and alignment with UK animal welfare standards in cross-border work.

Answer

The Home Office does not hold information centrally on the number of animals supplied by particular establishments that are used in specific studies, including those supporting international research projects or regulatory submissions to overseas regulators. The Department has therefore not made a specific assessment of beagles supplied for these purposes.

All regulated procedures carried out in the United Kingdom are subject to the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), regardless of whether the resulting data is submitted to UK or overseas regulators. ASPA provides a strict framework of licencing and compliance controls. This requires licenced establishments to maintain accurate records, including the source of animals used in regulated procedures. Records may be examined by the Home Office Regulator as part of its inspection and audit activity.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted but not disaggregated by establishment. Annual statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2024.

The Government considers that the existing framework provides robust oversight and does not plan to introduce additional regulations in this area.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
8693
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Animal welfare Animal experiments Inspections Dogs MBR Acres
Legislation
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk