§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to promote non-animal tests for cosmetics.
§ Mrs. Angela RumboldBefore any project licence is granted, the applicant must show that he or she has considered alternatives not using living animals for any of the procedures. In the particular case of cosmetics, licences are granted only for the safety testing of these substances, generally in order to satisfy national and international regulatory and legal requirements for the protection of the public.
The Home Office, although not itself responsible for these regulations, will continue to support moves to encourage regulatory bodies to review their requirements so that they do not entail unnecessary testing on living animals.
In addition, the Home Office funds research into ways of reducing, refining or replacing the use of living animals in scientific procedures. Since the research scheme was established, some 10 projects have been funded, one of which was concerned with refining eye irritancy testing. This project may have particular implications for the safety testing of substances used in cosmetics, as well as many other products.