Current effort:

18th August 2025

ICO complaint submitted — on the grounds that I challenge the Home Office’s refusal reason to release the report of the 2014 Consultation Section 24 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

FOI

TIMELINE

  • 19th May 2025: FOI submitted asking for the report of the 2014 consultation Section 24 ASPA

Will you write to your MP?

I need your help

Especially if you live in Merseyside

Ask your MP to table a Written Question to Parliament

“

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202528, on what date the policy work to clarify Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (a) commenced, (b) was paused and (c) resumed; and if he will make a statement.

“

What do you need to do:

Write to your MP and ask them to table a written question in Parliament, about the 2014 consultation report on animal testing transparency. Read more in the FAQ below or my FOI journey.

Why your MP?:

As one of their constituents, your MP has to represent you. So if you have concerns, especially about national issues, your MP is the first port of call. Although your MP is not obligated to fulfil your request, it is worth doing. The more of you that asks, the more likely at least one MP will agree to tabling this Question to Parliament.

Is your MP Ian Bryne (Liverpool West Derby)?

He last tabled a Written Question in Parliament asking for the 2014 consultation report in September 2023, and asked the government why the outcome of the 2014 consultation has not been published. He has shown interest in this topic, and is the only two out of 11 MPs that have tabled a question on Section 24 ASPA in the last 11 years and is still an MP!

How to write to your MP:

  1. Check who your MP is here.

    • note down their email address, and

    • what they should be addressed as.

  2. Think about why you care about having transparency in animal testing and why you care about the 2014 consultation outcome.

  3. Email your MP asking them to table a Written Question to Parliament, their email is found on their parliamentary page, e.g. Ian’s here.

Email structure:

  • Open - With Dear ___. The exact way to address your MP can be found on their parliamentary page here.

  • Intro - Why you are contacting the MP

  • The ask - Ask the MP to table a Written Question to Parliament, see the exact question to the right or above

  • Why - A bit about why you care about the lack of transparency in animal testing

  • Closing - Thank the MP, sign off with Yours Sincerely, including your Full name and address

It is important to include your name and full address, because that is how they confirm that you are their constituent. They are not allowed to help if you are not in their constituency.

If you’re stuck, use my emails as inspiration:

  • Email subject: New Evidence: Home Office Contradiction on 2014 ASPA Section 24 Report

    Dear Ian Byrne,

    I am writing to bring to your attention a concerning discrepancy in the Home Office's official statements, which directly relates to your previous work on this issue. This issue concerns the 2014 consultation on the review of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Given your question on this matter in 2023 (Parliamentary Written Question 197076, 1 September 2023), I believe this evidence would be of interest to you.

    My recent Freedom of Information request forced the first admission the report exists, yet the Home Office refused disclosure citing ongoing policy work that "since 2024, work on revising Section 24 has resumed". This directly contradicts a number of publicly available sources, including the March 2024 Animals in Science Committee minutes, which state “the Minister had decided not to review Section 24 of ASPA"—a clear contradiction between the Department's public statements and its private justifications (FOI) regarding the long-delayed report from the 2014 consultation. 

    As a previous questioner on this matter, you are well placed to question this. If this matter is still of interest to you, may I suggest tabling the following Question to force clarity: “To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202528, on what date the policy work to clarify Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (a) commenced, (b) was paused and (c) resumed; and if he will make a statement.”

    I have submitted a complaint to the ICO with a full evidence timeline to demand the proof of said resumed policy work. After 11 years of delays and dismissive “in due course” responses, I hope that with an MP's support, the public can finally get answers. Given the evidence I've uncovered, I believe parliamentary scrutiny is now essential to make that happen.

    Yours sincerely,

    Melody Lee

  • Email subject: Request to table a Question: Home Office Contradiction on 2014 ASPA Section 24 Report

    Dear _____,

    I am writing to you as a constituent seeking your help with a contradictory response from the Home Office to my Freedom of Information request, which reveals a larger transparency issue.

    In May 2024, I filed a FOI request asking for the long-delayed report from the 2014 consultation on Review of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. The Home Office: 

    • For the first time in 11 years, they confirmed the report (now) exists

    • Refused to disclose the report, claiming disclosure would prejudice ongoing policy work

    They specifically claimed that "since 2024, work on revising Section 24 has resumed". This directly contradicts a number of publicly available sources, including the March 2024 Animals in Science Committee minutes, which state “the Minister had decided not to review Section 24 of ASPA". This is a clear contradiction between the Department's public and private justifications (FOI).

    This is not an isolated incident. This report has been delayed for 11 years, with at least 12 Parliamentary Written Questions met with "in due course" responses. My FOI case is a symptom of this systemic lack of transparency and accountability.

    Therefore, I am asking you to help me obtain clarity by tabling a Parliamentary Written Question. In their last Written Question on this issue on 19 October 2023 Question 202528, the Home Office said they intended to "clarify Section 24". My proposed question tries to establish a factual timeline for this promised work:

    “To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202528, on what date the policy work to clarify Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (a) commenced, (b) was paused and (c) resumed; and if she will make a statement.”

    I have submitted a complaint to the ICO with a full evidence timeline to demand the proof of said resumed policy work. After 11 years of delays and non-committal “in due course” responses, I hope that with your support, the public can finally get answers. Given the evidence I've uncovered, I believe parliamentary scrutiny is now essential to make that happen.

    Thank you for your time and assistance.

    Yours sincerely,

FAQs

  • This is a specific law that stops anyone from disclosing information about scientific experiments involving animals. This is why we can’t even answer the simple question, “how many animals are used in experiments every year”.

    This law is vague and sweeping in its nature. The government has recognised that this law is not fit-for-purpose and proposed to change it in 2014. The 2014 consultation on Reviewing Section 24 of ASPA was the government’s opportunity to seek the public’s input, to then publish a report on the government’s intention on this policy change.

    That report never materialised. And this law has not been changed. And the scientific experiment industry is still shrouded in secrecy.

  • This is the last Parliamentary Written Question that was tabled about the 2014 consultation on Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

    In which the government said they intend to “clarify section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, taking account of the previous consultation”.

    They never did, and the new minister didn’t include this in his work.

  • Yes, of course you can! Your MP works for you, their constituent, however they are not obligated to table a question requested by their constituents.

    I have written to my MP, I haven’t heard back yet and I don’t have high hopes. This is mostly because they haven’t shown any political interest in animals, so I don’t expect them to table a question on this subject on my behalf.

    Which is my I wanted to reach out to the MPs that have in the past 11 years tabled a question specifically around Section 24 of ASPA. Unfortunately, only 2 MPs are still in parliament. Kerry McCarthy is the other MP that has tabled a question about this 2014 consultation in October 2018, but I was informed by her office that she is a minister therefore not able to table a question.

Did you write to your MP? Let me know!

Years ago, a family member asked,

‘There are laws to make sure animals are treated right, aren’t there?’

I started digging.

What I found wasn’t black and white: loopholes, exemptions, and practices many would call inhumane—if they knew.

But most people aren’t aware.

That’s why I do this: to find the facts, connect the dots, and hand them to you.

Because change starts when we look.

I’m Melody, a curiosity-driven data nerd on a mission.

No lab coat or fancy title—just a determination to unpack how we use animals through data, documents and relentless questions.

60%

of mammals on Earth are

livestock.

Yet hardly anyone sees how they’re treated.

Source: Hannah Ritchie (2022) - “Wild mammals make up only a few percent of the world’s mammals” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass' [Online Resource]

*Quoting the number for mammals, and not all animals, purely because this is the best stats to make this impactful point.

References

Every fact is backed by laws, FOIs, or government data. See the proof, then use it to demand change.