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1718426

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animal Experiments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report 2022, published on 25 April 2024, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) help increase compliance with (i) legislation and (ii) licence conditions with respect to the provision of care for animals and (b) support the replacement of animal (A) research and (B) testing with (1) organ-on-a-chip, (2) computer modelling and (3) other human-specific technologies.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	26402
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has embarked on an ambitious agenda of regulatory reform. The ASRU Regulatory Reform Programme aims to deliver leading regulatory practice, improving how ASRU meets best practice regulatory standards, and enhancing ASRU’s ability to protect animals in scientific testing and research. As part of reforms ASRU will be reviewing and strengthening its licensing and audit processes, with a focus on improving compliance with the legislation and providing a quality service to the science sector.</p><p>This Government has committed to soon publish a plan to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science. The Government recently announced that it will double investment, from £10m to £20m per annum, in research to achieve the three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) with a focus on the development of non-animal alternatives.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 22/05/2024 12:08:20 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1717921

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to end the use of cages in farming.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	26114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>We have delivered an ambitious legislative programme since the publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which will deliver significant improvements for animals in the UK and abroad. We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>Mindful of the challenges facing the sector, we are not consulting on cage reforms. The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hen production. Egg producers and consumers should rightly have pride in the quality of British eggs, with about 75% coming from free range, barn and organic production systems. The UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards of animal welfare. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 21/05/2024 08:11:57 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1717922

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Livestock
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support the transition to (a) humane and (b) sustainable livestock farming.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	26115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>We are committed to investing in targeted schemes that support sustainable farming whilst improving the viability of farming businesses, delivering environmental outcomes and supporting sustainable food production.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway we are providing support directly to farmers in England to deliver gradual, continual improvement against a series of livestock health and welfare priorities, including tackling key endemic diseases alongside a range of welfare issues whilst ensuring that farmers can produce good quality food for the nation.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill is now awaiting Royal Assent; this will ban the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain, stopping unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 20/05/2024 14:14:29 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1715835

registered interest
date	03/05/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Animal Experiments: Licensing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many licences were active that authorise use of the forced swim test as of 3 May 2024; and how many licences were amended to no longer authorise use of this test since the letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the Animals in Science Committee on 1 March 2024.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	24752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office committed to review all licences authorising the use of the forced swim test (FST) under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 by the end of March 2024 and has subsequently liaised with licence holders where necessary to implement the recommendations of the Animals in Science Committee.</p><p>Since 1 March 2024, three project licences have been amended to remove authorisation of the FST, one project licence that authorised the FST has expired, and two project licences that authorised the FST have been revoked.</p><p>As of today, three project licences authorise the use of the FST. The Home Office is engaging with the relevant licence holders to ensure the recommendations of the Animals in Science Committee are implemented in full for those licences.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 14/05/2024 16:08:06 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1714980

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Furs: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timescales are for publishing the results of the consultation entitled The Fur Market in Great Britain, which closed on 31 May 2021.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	24222
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 April 2024 to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, PQ <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-16/22091" target="_blank">22091</a>.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 07/05/2024 13:16:50 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1715014

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Poultry: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his expected timetable is for reviewing the use of cages for laying hens.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	24223
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>We have delivered an ambitious legislative programme since the publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which will deliver significant improvements for animals in the UK and abroad. We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>Mindful of the challenges facing the sector, we are not consulting on cage reforms. The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hen production. Egg producers and consumers should rightly have pride in the quality of British eggs, with about 75% coming from free range, barn and organic production systems.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards of animal welfare. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 07/05/2024 13:06:57 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1701858

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Genomics: National Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Deputy Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 September 2023 on Security Update, Official Report, column 673, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of designating the genomics sector as Critical National Infrastructure.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	22293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>The genomics sector is not currently designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). There is a strict framework for classification: CNI assets and systems are those that have been assessed as having a significant and catastrophic impact to the functioning of the UK – either through the loss of life or limb, on the economy, or national security, defence or the functioning of the state – should they be disrupted or compromised. The threshold is a high bar so that resources are focused on the highest priority, and most critical, assets and systems.</p><p>There are strong and sufficient provisions protecting UK genomics databases, including through the UK Data Protection Act (2018), which delivers a data protection framework tailored to the needs of our criminal justice agencies and intelligence services. The relevant genomics data is additionally held within Secure Data Environments, affording further security protections.</p><p>As with all parts of the CNI landscape, we commit to keeping this position under review.</p><p><strong></strong><br><br></p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 25/04/2024 16:32:15 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1701860

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Genomics: China
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 14260 on Genomics: China, whether the programme of work to assess risks from biological data will include a review of (a) BGI Group, (b) MGI Tech and (c) other companies linked to the Chinese state.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	22294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2024 answer text <p>Through the delivery of our Biological Security Strategy, the Government is committed ensuring the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, as well as being a world leader in innovation. As part of this Strategy, the Government is undertaking a programme of work to assess how we can minimise the risks from biological data to protect our burgeoning bioeconomy and build confidence in sharing personal data to improve health outcomes in the UK and across the world. This review covers the extent to which the UK shares data with certain companies.</p><p>Currently, organisations which hold sensitive biological data are subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In addition, organisations such as Genomics England, UK Biobank and NIHR BioResource actively consider national security in decision making about partnerships with companies overseas. These organisations consult with security personnel on a regular basis to ensure partnerships are aligned with our national security interests.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 25/04/2024 08:43:41 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith