Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the potential closure of MBR Acres in Wyton Cambridgeshire on the UK pharmaceutical industry.

The Government continues to support MBR as a vital part of the system, helping sustain a strong pharmaceutical sector and life sciences ecosystem, while also looking to reduce animal testing where scientifically viable. The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation, and adoption later this year.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with academics on the (a) development, (b) validation and (c) uptake of alternative methods to animal testing.

The Secretary of State has had no meetings on alternative methods. However, as the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Minister Vallance and officials have met with academics including at Alternative Methods to Animals in Science Strategy Roundtables and at meetings run by the Home Office. Lord Vallance has also engaged with academics developing non-animal alternatives, including the Harries lab at the University of Exeter.The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help phase out the use of animals for antibody production.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.The Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has a collaborative programme of work investigating accelerating the adoption of non-animal derived antibodies and resources to support researchers to adopt these technologies.Further steps supporting alternative methods, including any targets to phase out specific applications of animal testing, will be outlined in the upcoming strategy.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to phase out the use of dogs in (a) scientific and (b) regulatory procedures and replace them with human-specific technologies.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The Government will publish a strategy later this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing, including the use of dogs in scientific and regulatory procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners including regulators.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the 2020 EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing's recommendation on non-animal derived antibodies.

The Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals In Research is leading work to accelerate uptake of non-animal derived antibodies (NADA), in collaboration with members of the EU Reference Laboratory Committee for animal testing alternatives that developed the NADA recommendation. In 2021, in response to the recommendation, the Animals in Science Committee reviewed antibody licence applications to assess how 3Rs are being implemented.The Government will publish a strategy later this year to support the development, validation, and adoption of alternative methods, which will set out any targets to phase out specific uses of animal testing.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to replace animal testing in the development of (a) monoclonal antibody therapies and (b) other drugs with more effective human-specific methods.

Regulatory approval processes already permit human-specific methods for drug testing where humans are the only relevant pharmacological species and the drug’s mechanism of action is well-defined and clinical monitoring is in place. This can include monoclonal antibody (mAbs) therapies. Where animals are still required for mAb testing, the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) collaborates with industry and regulators to minimise their use. (https://nc3rs.org.uk/our-portfolio/re-evaluating-need-mab-chronic-toxicity-studies)The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and adoption of alternatives later this year, including any targets to phase out specific animal testing.

Innovation and Technology, whether he is taking steps (a) at the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and (b) in other international regulatory forums to help increase the global (i) adoption and (ii) validation of human-specific technologies.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) adopts guidelines published by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The Government regularly engages with international regulators with a view to influencing guidance updates. Further details will be highlighted when the plan is published later this year.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the document by the Food and Drug Administration entitled Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies, published on 10 April 2025, and the announcement by the National Institutes of Health on 29 April 2025 on animal testing.

The Government has reviewed the FDA roadmap and is engaging with the MHRA on how to accelerate the science-led adoption of alternatives to the use of animals for drug development and testing. The Government will publish a strategy later this year that will support this ambition and accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods across the biosciences.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to p.20 of the Plan for Change, CP 1210, published on 5 December 2024, what steps he is taking to support the diffusion of technologies.

The Chancellor, Business Secretary and I asked the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and National Technology Adviser to carry out a Review of the barriers to the adoption of transformative digital technologies. The Review has almost concluded, and the findings and recommendations are feeding into the Government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper and sector plans. The Industrial Strategy will take a holistic view across innovation, skills, regulation, finance and other policy enablers and barriers to improving the diffusion of technology and hence business productivity.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to p.22 of the Plan for Change, CP 1210, published on 5 December 2024, what progress he has made on capturing the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution through the Artificial Intelligence Opportunities Action Plan.

AI offers the most powerful lever we have for national renewal; it underpins the Government’s plan to drive economic growth, transform public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Government has welcomed the Action Plan and accepted all 50 recommendations to deliver these benefits.Progress has been made across a range of actions, including holding the first AI Energy Council meeting, signing an MOU with Anthropic, and opening the formal AI Growth Zone application process. We will continue to work on all recommendations, such as bringing the AI Research Resource online; this includes the Isambard-AI and Dawn supercomputers and is expected to increase the UK's AI compute capacity by 20 times.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on the graduate job market.

We are already witnessing AI’s impact on the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and changing the landscape. We remain mindful of this impact and its effect on the UK workforce, whilst working to harness the benefits that AI can bring.As part of our response to the Action Plan, DSIT will be working closely with Skills England to develop a clear assessment of the country’s skills needs for AI, and map pathways by which they can be filled. We expect to publish our first assessment before the autumn and periodic publications thereafter.

Innovation and Technology, what geoengineering projects the Advanced Research and Invention Agency have (a) underway and (b) planned in financial year 2025-26.

Details of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, are available on ARIA’s website: https://www.aria.org.uk/opportunity-spaces/future-proofing-our-climate-and-weather/exploring-climate-coolingARIA is intending to publish further details of projects within this programme shortly.

Innovation and Technology, whether (a) he and (b) his Department have had discussions with Nostrada.ai since 5 July 2024.

We are committed to building an AI sector that can scale and win globally.As the Government takes the AI Opportunities Action Plan forward, the Secretary of State and the rest of his department will continue to engage widely with stakeholders.Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements on the GOV.UK website; however, no meetings have taken place with Nostrada.ai.

Innovation and Technology, how the Government will fine firms that fail to inform Ofcom of age assurance processes that prevent children’s access to online content.

The Online Safety Act 2023 establishes Ofcom as independent regulator for online safety in the UK. Ofcom has powers to sanction services in-scope of the Act who do not comply with their duties under the Act, including the child safety duties and age assurance provisions.Ofcom’s enforcement powers will include directing services to take measures to comply with their duties, fining companies up to £18 million, or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (whichever is the greater), and initiating business disruption measures.Ofcom has published enforcement guidance illustrating how it will calculate penalties in a proportionate, case-by-case way.

Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on the installation of a subsea data connection for the Falkland Islands.

The installation of subsea telecoms cables is generally a commercial enterprise. DSIT is not currently engaged in any work to create a connection to the Falkland Islands.

Innovation and Technology, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.

The following table includes the number of lost department-issued devices by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology since 5 July 2024.Breakdown of department-issued equipment typeNumber of lost itemsMobile phones60Laptops8Other electronic devices0

Innovation and Technology, how much was allocated to Three Rs funding in the 2024-25 financial year; and how much he plans to allocate in the 2025-26 financial year.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a diverse portfolio of direct investments in the 3Rs and supports research that underpins advancements in this area. From April 2020 - 2025 UKRI invested ~£10m /year in the NC3Rs. The combined investment in this area in 2024/25 is expected to be ~£26m, including additional £5m funding to the NC3Rs from DSIT. We cannot confirm the 2025/26 allocation, as UKRI is currently conducting a strategic review of the NC3Rs to determine the optimal level of future investment. This approach ensures decisions are informed by rigorous analysis and are aligned with UKRI’s long-term goals.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 34051 on Antarctic: Finance, how much funding his Department has provided to the British Antarctic Survey in the latest period for which data is available.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5th March to Question UIN 33658.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help reduce online (a) misogyny and (b) misandry.

The Online Safety Act requires all platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including illegal misogyny and misandry. Where this type of abuse is not illegal, Category 1 services will have extra duties, requiring them to establish user empowerment tools, enabling all adult users to have greater control over their online experience. Services likely to be accessed by children must provide safety measures protecting children from harmful and age-inappropriate content and activity. The Act requires Ofcom, the regulator, to publish guidance about protecting women and girls online, which they published in draft for consultation on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the regulatory approval of new approach methodologies.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.