The Government has considered the implications of the Animals in Science Committee’s advice, including the findings on page 14 of its October 2024 report on non-human primates used in service licences. The Minister for the Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) has formally responded to the Committee, and that response is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-human-primates-used-in-service-licences-response-from-lord-hanson.

This project, among other research, sits within the Government’s broader strategy to support research that advances the understanding of major public health challenges. The expected scientific benefits of this work include improving understanding of how brain cells, together with brain chemicals, support key mental processes including learning, memory, planning and decision-making. In the longer term, this evidence base is expected to aid the development of therapies for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, such as depression, addiction and dementia.

All project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) are assessed by medically or veterinary qualified inspectors within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU). Under ASPA, no project can be granted without a harm-benefit analysis, where an ASRU inspector makes a rigorous assessment of the scientific rationale for the programme of work, and must assess that the harms of the proposed project are justified by the likely benefits. Inspectors assess the appropriateness of the scientific methods being proposed for achieving the stated benefits and must be confident that these benefits are likely to be realised. The project must also demonstrate full application of the legal requirements of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means that animal use cannot be approved if a practicable nonanimal alternative method exists, the number of any animals used must be minimised, and the most refined methods must be used for animal testing to minimise harms.

This project, among other research, sits within the Government’s broader strategy to support research that advances the understanding of major public health challenges. The expected scientific benefits of this work include improving understanding of how brain cells, together with brain chemicals, support key mental processes including learning, memory, planning and decision-making. In the longer term, this evidence base is expected to aid the development of therapies for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, such as depression, addiction and dementia.

All project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) are assessed by medically or veterinary qualified inspectors within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU). Under ASPA, no project can be granted without a harm-benefit analysis, where an ASRU inspector makes a rigorous assessment of the scientific rationale for the programme of work, and must assess that the harms of the proposed project are justified by the likely benefits. Inspectors assess the appropriateness of the scientific methods being proposed for achieving the stated benefits and must be confident that these benefits are likely to be realised.

The project must also demonstrate full application of the legal requirements of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means that animal use cannot be approved if a practicable nonanimal alternative method exists, the number of any animals used must be minimised, and the most refined methods must be used for animal testing to minimise harms.

This project, among other research, sits within the Government’s broader strategy to support research that advances the understanding of major public health challenges. The expected scientific benefits of this work include improving understanding of how brain cells, together with brain chemicals, support key mental processes including learning, memory, planning and decision-making. In the longer term, this evidence base is expected to aid the development of therapies for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, such as depression, addiction and dementia.

All project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) are assessed by medically or veterinary qualified inspectors within the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU). Under ASPA, no project can be granted without a harm-benefit analysis, where an ASRU inspector makes a rigorous assessment of the scientific rationale for the programme of work, and must assess that the harms of the proposed project are justified by the likely benefits. Inspectors assess the appropriateness of the scientific methods being proposed for achieving the stated benefits and must be confident that these benefits are likely to be realised.

The project must also demonstrate full application of the legal requirements of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). This means that animal use cannot be approved if a practicable nonanimal alternative method exists, the number of any animals used must be minimised, and the most refined methods must be used for animal testing to minimise harms.

The Government is committed to reducing the use of animals in science, including non‑human primates, through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, which supports the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. The use of non‑human primates is already subject to stringent controls and is permitted only where no validated alternatives exist and where justified by the potential benefits. The strategy includes targeted ambitions to reduce reliance on specific animal models as validated approaches are developed. The Government will report on progress through the strategy’s delivery update and associated performance framework, to be published later in 2026.

An approach to measure progress in reaching the target to reduce such use by at least 35% by 2030 is being developed with DSIT colleagues and will be included in a strategy delivery update published later in 2026.

The Home Office does not presently aggregate data on the number of dogs and non-human primates used specifically in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Information on estimated numbers of animals to be used over the lifetime of the licence relevant to such studies may be held within individual project licence records for regulatory purposes.

The Home Office does not publish a separate aggregated category for the number of dogs and non-human primates used specifically in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines for publication purposes conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. While information relevant to such studies may be held within individual project licence records for regulatory purposes, there is no distinct reporting category for them in the published in the annual statistics.

The target to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines by at least 35% by 2030 forms part of the Government broader programme Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. This number was agreed following discussions between regulators, research funders and officials on what was considered to be challenging while also likely being scientifically achievable.

The Government welcomes the advice provided by the Animals in Science Committee (ASC) on non-human primates used in service licences and is carefully considering its recommendations to inform policy and regulatory practice.

The Government will publish its response by the end of June 2026.

The Home Office does not hold centrally collated figures on expected number of procedures to be carried out under service project licences involving dogs or non-human primates in each of the last five years.

Project licences authorise programmes of work according to the scientific need set out in the application, rather than against a single centrally recorded expected procedures total. Information on the expected number and types of animals to be used is set out in published non-technical summaries for each of the licensed programmes of work – published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/non-technical-summaries-of-projects-granted-under-aspa.

The numbers of service project licences are based on information provided during the application process, with figures drawn from the Home Office’s Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) e‑licensing system. The total number of service project licences granted in each of the last five years are as follows:

2022 – 21 service licenses
2023 – 27 service licenses
2024 – 18 service licenses
2025 – 25 service licenses
2026 – 7 service licenses (to date)

The number of service project licences involving dogs in each of the last five years are as follows:

2022 – 3 service licenses
2023 – 3 service licenses
2024 – 3 service licenses
2025 – 7 service licenses
2026 - 0 service licences (to date)

The number of service project licences involving non-human primates in each of the last five years are as follows:

2022 – 1 service license
2023 – 2 service licenses
2024 – 0 service license
2025 – 3 service licenses
2026 – 0 service licenses (to date)

All project licence applications, including service licences which use specially protected species such as dogs and non-human primates, are subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis (HBA), required under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The HBA ensures that a project is only granted where a Home Office Inspector is satisfied that the likely harms to animals, including pain, suffering, distress and any lasting harm, are justified by the expected benefits for humans, animals or the environment.

Under ASPA, projects proposing the use of specially protected species may only be authorised where no animal of lower sentience can be used to achieve the scientific objectives. In all cases, the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs) must be fully applied. This means that animal use is permitted only where no validated alternative exists, the minimum number of animals is used, and the most refined methods are used to minimise harm.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain, which break down procedures by species, type of procedure, and actual severity experienced by animals. They are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals. Information on the severity of procedures involving NHPs and dogs is set out in Table 3.1, with severity categorised under ASPA as non-recovery, mild, moderate or severe.

Additionally, the Home Office expects to respond to recommendations from the Animals in Science Committee on the use of NHPs in service licences, which is aimed at further strengthening protections for NHPs used in science for service licences.

There is no impact from the number of experiments on (a) beagles (b) non-human primates and (c) rabbits on progress towards the Government’s alternatives strategy. This is because licences for the use of animals in scientific procedures may only be granted only where there is robust scientific justification, no validated nonanimal alternative exists, and use is fully compliant with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

This Government remains firmly committed to working towards the phasing out of animals in science. The strategy, ‘Replacing animals in science’, sets specific targets to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by 2030, while ensuring the UK continues to support safe and effective scientific and medical research.

The strategy is clear that while the longterm vision is to replace the use of animals in science wherever possible, some animal use remains necessary at present to develop and test new medicines, advance understanding of biology and disease, and to protect human and animal health and the environment. These activities are integral to the UK’s national health preparedness and resilience, including the ability to respond to emerging health threats. Progress towards the phasing out of animal use must therefore be scienceled and supported by reliable alternative methods.

Accordingly, the Home Office licensing regime is compatible with the strategy; it enables only tightly controlled animal use where it is scientifically justified and no suitable alternative exists.

Between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025, a total of 12 project licences were granted that included the use of beagles and/or non-human primates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: 4 authorising the use of beagles; 4 authorising the use of non-human primates; and, 4 authorising the use of both beagles and non-human primates.

Statistics about the use of animals in scientific procedures in 2025, including beagles and non-human primates, will be published later this year as Accredited Official Statistics.

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 (including beagles). 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 are collected and published on an annual basis and are not disaggregated by licence approvals at the point of authorisation.

In addition, the Home Office publishes non-technical summaries for every project licence granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. These are published quarterly and include information on the species and the number of animals expected to be used over the lifetime of the project licence.

This Government remains firmly committed to working towards the phasing out of animals in science. The strategy, ‘Replacing animals in science’, sets specific targets to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by 2030, while ensuring the UK continues to support safe and effective scientific and medical research.

Statistics about the use of animals in live experiments, including beagles and non-human primates, in 2025 will be published later this year.

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 and beagles specifically. This data is reported to the Home Office as an annual total and so monthly or quarterly breakdowns are not available. Animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances. The statistics report both the total number of procedures conducted and the number of animals used for the first time in a given year.

The Home Office also publishes non-technical summaries for every project licence granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The non-technical summaries include the species and number of animals expected to be used over the lifetime of the project licence.

The use of animals in scientific procedures is only authorised by the Home Office Regulator where the expected benefits to human and animal health, and the environment, are assessed as justifying the harms. The Regulator assures that the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement are fully implemented for all programmes of work involving animals. This means that non-animal methods must be used wherever practicably possible, the number of animals used must be minimised, and the most refined techniques must be employed to minimise harm.

To obtain this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

The Home Office will only grant licences where it is satisfied that the statutory requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have been met, including that the work is scientifically justified and that there is no suitable nonanimal alternative.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain, which include information on the number of procedures carried out, the species used, and the purposes for which procedures are undertaken.

The Home Office also publishes non-technical summaries of all licenced programme of work, setting out their objectives, predicted harms, expected benefits, and the number and types of animals to be used.

In addition, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit publishes an annual report setting out the total number of project licences granted each year.

The annual report and annual statistics for 2025 are due for publication later this year. Non-technical summaries are published on a quarterly basis.

The annual reports are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports

The non-technical summaries are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/non-technical-summaries-of-projects-granted-under-aspa

The annual statistics are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2024

The Government’s publication, Replacing Animals in Science: A Strategy to Support the Development, Validation and Uptake of Alternative Methods, sets out our long-term vision for a world in which the use of animals in scientific research is eliminated except in exceptional circumstances.

The strategy commits to the publication of qualitative and quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in 2025. These are in the process of being developed, and the baseline assessment will be determined as part of this process.

The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.

The use of non-human primates continues to represent a very small proportion of the total number of procedures carried out in Great Britain, accounting for approximately 0.1% of all experimental procedures in 2024. The total number of procedures using non-human primates, and the total number of non-human primates used decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. Non-human primates are required by regulatory authorities for use in their assessments of whether potential medicines and other therapeutics are to be considered safe for human use. Non-human primates are also used for the safety assessment of novel pharmaceuticals in cases where they are the most appropriate and scientifically justified species.

Non-human primates are classed as specially protected species, and their use is permitted only under exceptional circumstances.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 ensures that all use of non-human primates in the UK is strictly regulated and licences that authorise testing on non-human primates are only granted where there is robust scientific justification and no viable alternative. Each project licence application is subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis, and the welfare of the animals is a primary consideration at every stage