On 10 July 2026, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit carried out an announced visit to MBR Acres to inspect compliance with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) following the recent period of high temperatures in Great Britain. No immediate animal welfare concerns were identified by inspectors on the day of the visit.

Under ASPA, licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extreme temperatures. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.

The Home Office does not hold centrally collated data on the number of occasions Border Force has exercised powers to stop, board and inspect vehicles, public transport, buses and boats for immigration purposes in each of the last five calendar years.

Border Force officers have powers under immigration legislation to stop, board, examine and search vehicles and vessels for immigration purposes. These powers are exercised routinely as part of day-to-day border operations and are not routinely recorded or centrally collated in a way that would enable the Department to provide the figures requested.

While Border Force maintains operational records relating to passengers and immigration checks, it does not hold data on the number of vehicles or vessels examinations undertaken.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extremes of temperature. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.

In addition to a programme of announced and unannounced inspections, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) assesses compliance through reviews of establishment arrangements, and regular engagement with establishments. These arrangements are not limited to routine inspections.

ASRU’s regulatory oversight is informed by a risk assessment of the licensed establishment, including factors such as the species held and the type of work conducted. Where appropriate, ASRU may request updates on operational matters and environmental conditions, including temperature monitoring, to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare are maintained.

The Home Office does not hold records as to whether inspections coincided with periods when Government heat-health alerts were in force. Inspection frequency is determined in line with the requirements of ASPA and ASRU’s risk-informed approach.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), licensed establishments are responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extremes of temperature. All such establishments must comply with ASPA, the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes, and relevant licence conditions. This includes requirements for daily checks of animal welfare and environmental conditions, and for breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions to be reported to the Secretary of State.

In addition to a programme of announced and unannounced inspections, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) assesses compliance through reviews of establishment arrangements, and regular engagement with establishments. These arrangements are not limited to routine inspections.

ASRU’s regulatory oversight is informed by a risk assessment of the licensed establishment, including factors such as the species held and the type of work conducted. Where appropriate, ASRU may request updates on operational matters and environmental conditions, including temperature monitoring, to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare are maintained.

The Home Office does not hold records as to whether inspections coincided with periods when Government heat-health alerts were in force. Inspection frequency is determined in line with the requirements of ASPA and ASRU’s risk-informed approach.

Border Force officers have a range of powers to stop, board, examine and search vehicles and vessels for immigration purposes.

Under Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971, immigration officers may board ships and aircraft in connection with the exercise of their immigration functions. They may also search vehicles or containers that have been brought to, or are to be brought to, the United Kingdom by ship, aircraft or train for the purpose of establishing whether there are persons whom they may wish to examine under the Act. These examination powers apply in respect of passengers travelling by private vehicle, public transport, coach, bus, rail, air and maritime services.

In the maritime environment, the Immigration Act 2016 included Part 3A and Schedule 4A, expanding the Immigration Act 1971 to include provide powers, in specified circumstances and where relevant immigration offences are suspected, to stop, board, divert and detain vessels for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting such offences.

The exercise of all Border Force powers is subject to the relevant statutory framework and operational guidance.

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.

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.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted, including breakdowns by species of animals. The statistics report both the total number of procedures conducted and the number of animals used for the first time in a given year. Data is collected and published on an annual basis and is not disaggregated by establishment.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) requires establishments that breed or supply animals for use in scientific procedures to be licensed and regulated, even where no scientific procedures are carried out on site.

MBR Acres Ltd is a breeding facility and does not carry out onsite testing.

All members of the Department were required to complete a mandatory 'AI for all' learning package in 2025. All caseworkers were given comprehensive training on the use of APS before it was operationalised. Both ACS and APS underwent user acceptance testing and evaluation was conducted following pilots of both tools.

A specific inbox was set up for Decision Makers to feed back any issues found with the tool. All questions asked of the tool, have and will be logged, and are auditable. Subject Matter Expert (SME) testing continues after operationalisation, in conjunction with the CPIT (Country Policy & Information Team) for APS.

ACS has not yet been operationalised, but our Analysis and Insight team plan to conduct further follow up evaluations in due course.

The announced audit carried out at MBR Acres in November 2025 identified no critical or major findings, and no low‑level concerns. Three minor findings were identified and, where required, actions to address these areas were issued to the establishment. The minor findings involved a small amount of rust on a surface, small areas of floor damage in a walkway, and a small portion of loose drain cover which was dealt with immediately.

ASRU conducts both announced and unannounced audits in line with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), using a risk‑informed approach.

Audit frequency is determined by a range of factors including consideration of an establishment’s compliance history, the nature and scale of licensed activities, the species and numbers of animals used, and the licence holder’s record.

As a minimum, ASRU audits a third of all establishments each year and audits all establishments carrying out regulated procedures on non‑human primates annually, as required by ASPA. ASPA does not mandate whether these audits are announced or unannounced and does not mandate a specific frequency for unannounced audits.

ASRU has planned to increase the number of unannounced audits as part of its work to strength regulatory oversight. ASRU has also increased its number of inspectors, enabling a greater volume of risk-based audits across the system.

The announced audit carried out at MBR Acres in November 2025 identified no critical or major findings, and no low‑level concerns. Three minor findings were identified and, where required, actions to address these areas were issued to the establishment. The minor findings involved a small amount of rust on a surface, small areas of floor damage in a walkway, and a small portion of loose drain cover which was dealt with immediately.

ASRU conducts both announced and unannounced audits in line with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), using a risk‑informed approach.

Audit frequency is determined by a range of factors including consideration of an establishment’s compliance history, the nature and scale of licensed activities, the species and numbers of animals used, and the licence holder’s record.

As a minimum, ASRU audits a third of all establishments each year and audits all establishments carrying out regulated procedures on non‑human primates annually, as required by ASPA. ASPA does not mandate whether these audits are announced or unannounced and does not mandate a specific frequency for unannounced audits.

ASRU has planned to increase the number of unannounced audits as part of its work to strength regulatory oversight. ASRU has also increased its number of inspectors, enabling a greater volume of risk-based audits across the system.