Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 July 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 15 July (HL1807), how many licence applications have been withdrawn in response to feedback from the Home Office Regulator during the assessment process, and whether there is a limit on the number of times an application may be revised and resubmitted.

Answer

In 2024, eight project licence applications and, in 2025, six project licence applications were withdrawn by the applicant. The Regulator does not hold information on the reasons why those applications were withdrawn so cannot comment on whether they were withdrawn in response to regulatory feedback.

Amendments to project licence applications are a routine part of the assessment process, are based on discussions between the Regulator and the applicant and could be about any aspect of the licence. There is no limit to the number of revisions and resubmissions that can be made.

All applications are subject to multiple stages of review prior to submission to the Home Office, including the scrutiny by an establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body and sign off by the establishment licence holder. A licence may only be granted where the application satisfies all relevant requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2530
Session
2026-27
Related items
Animal Experiments: Licensing
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Animal experiments Licensing
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk