Written question asked by Alex Mayer (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Sarah Jones (Labour) on Thursday, 10 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Animal Experiments

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what assessment she has made of the use of 11,213 mice in procedures reported under the LD50 and LC50 test.

Answer

All procedures using protected animals, including the LD50 and LC50 tests, are subject to strict regulation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). No project licence can be granted unless a Home Office inspector has completed a harm-benefit analysis and concluded that the likely benefits justify the harms to the animals.

As part of that assessment, inspectors consider the scientific rationale, whether the proposed method is appropriate to achieve the stated benefits, and whether suitable non-animal alternatives are available. The use of animals is authorised only where those tests are judged necessary, justified and proportionate.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 19608
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Animal experiments
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Animal Experiments

Secondary information

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