Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about human-specific research techniques.

I strongly advocate for these methods and recognise that they will greatly improve our animal welfare standards, the economy and the safety of chemical products in the UK.

In the last Parliament, the previous Government actively supported and funded the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), including those specific to humans.

This is achieved primarily through funding for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs), which is organised through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body. Since it was established, the NC3Rs has invested £89.3 million in research and almost £27 million in contracts through its CRACK IT Challenges innovation scheme.

Furthermore, the NC3Rs has published its Non-Animal Technologies Roadmap, a vision and strategy for non-animal technologies in the UK. It recommends policies such as a £1.6 million commitment for the development of a virtual dog to reduce the use of live dogs in the safety testing of new medicines.

The previous Government was closely considering these policies with a view to developing a Chemicals Strategy, and I will seek clarity from ministers on how they intend to take this work forward.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours ever,

EDWARD LEIGH