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1402415

registered interest
date	12/01/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Dogs: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department made of animal welfare within the operation of large-scale dog farming factories in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to stop the testing of animals for scientific research.
tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
uin	102757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2022 answer text <p>The breeding and selling of dogs (other than for scientific purposes) is regulated in England under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Since 2019 anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Local authorities provide management and enforcement of this licensing regime and of the Animal Welfare Act. Any breeder failing to meet these standards may have additional licensing restrictions applied, have their licence revoked, or in extreme cases be prosecuted and potentially subject to the increased five -year custodial penalty the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act brought into force on the 29 June 2021.</p><p>The breeding of dogs to be used for scientific purposes is separately regulated under The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Government has published a code of practice for the care and accommodation of animals (including dogs) used for scientific purposes. The appropriate regulators operationalise and enforce ASPA through licensing and compliance assurance activities. A range of remedies are used if licence holders are found to be non-compliant, including suspension or revocation of licences.</p><p>This government believes, in line with the current scientific position, that there is a need to continue to use animals in some areas of research where there are no non- animal alternatives, to advance scientific discovery and protect human and animal health and the environment. There is a robust regulatory regime to protect these animals and we continue to invest in the development and uptake of non-animal alternatives. Therefore, this government have no current plans to hold a review into the use of animals in science</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 20/01/2022 16:53:20 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1359690

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
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	Dogs: 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 promote responsible dog ownership.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	57416
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>The Government takes the issue of dog attacks extremely seriously and is determined to crack down on irresponsible dog ownership.</p><p> </p><p>Under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it is an offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in any place. Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 also allows for a complaint to be made to a magistrates' court by any individual or authority that a dog is &quot;dangerous and not kept under proper control&quot;. Additionally, the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 includes specific measures to enable the police and local authorities to tackle irresponsible dog ownership before a dog attack occurs. The main tool to tackle irresponsible dog ownership is the Community Protection Notice (CPN). These notices can be issued by local authority officers or the police on dog owners, or anyone temporarily in charge of the dog at the time, whose dogs are behaving in an unruly way. To breach a CPN is a criminal offence and could lead to a significant penalty. To that end we are encouraging police forces across the country to use these tools.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has also commissioned research in collaboration with Middlesex University into ways to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible ownership amongst dog owners. The research considers different approaches and the effectiveness of current dog control measures. The report, which will be published shortly, identifies the police Local Environmental Awareness on Dogs (LEAD) initiative as a model of preventative best practice for low level dog control issues and early intervention. The Government supports these local preventative approaches to encourage responsible ownership of all breeds of dog. Defra is giving careful consideration to the report and its recommendations, which will provide the basis for potential further reform in this area.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 57417 question first answered 25/10/2021 10:25:18 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1359722

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
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	Dogs: 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, when he plans to publish the research on responsible dog ownership commissioned by his Department from Middlesex University.
tabling member constituency	East Lothian
tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
uin	57370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2021 answer text <p>Defra commissioned Middlesex University to examine measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible ownership. The research considers different approaches and the effectiveness of current dog control measures. The report will be published shortly and will provide the basis for the consideration of further reform in this area.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 21/10/2021 15:32:12 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1344828

registered interest
date	07/07/2021
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	Dogs: 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 steps he is taking to tackle the promotion of cropping dogs ears on social media.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	29107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to eradicating the illegal cropping of dogs ears, not just addressing the practice’s promotion on social media. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation e.g. where it is not carried out for medical purposes, including the cropping of a dog’s ears. Now that The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 has come into force, anyone convicted of such an offence faces being sent to prison for up to 5 years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare on 12th May, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-plan-for-animal-welfare/action-plan-for-animal-welfare" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-plan-for-animal-welfare/action-plan-for-animal-welfare</a>. This is a wide-reaching and ambitious plan to set out our current and future work on animal welfare. The Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling and one of our key reforms in the plan is to end this abhorrent, cruel practice and low-welfare pet imports. As part of the Action Plan, we are now making some significant changes to domestic law through the recently introduced Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. This Bill was introduced in Parliament on the 8 June and will progress through Parliament when parliamentary time allows. The Bill includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. These power will allow us to go further and prioritise the welfare of dogs by prohibiting the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs into GB that have been subject to low welfare practices, such as ear cropping or tail docking, in line with our domestic legislation on these practices.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile my Department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting on where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: <a href="https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/</a>. We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange and backed a set of Minimum Standards that PAAG developed which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 16/07/2021 13:39:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1343556

registered interest
date	05/07/2021
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	Dogs: 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 ensure that breeders selling puppies provide adequate protection for the (a) well being and (b) breeding of the dogs.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	27219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2021 answer text <p>This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.</p><p> </p><p>Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licences must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.</p><p> </p><p>We banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England from 6 April 2020. This ban aims to disrupt the low-welfare trade that supports puppy farming by preventing pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.</p><p> </p><p>The 2018 Regulations require Local Authorities to maintain a record of the number of licences in force for each activity in their respective area. Furthermore, as Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing animal related activities which are licensed, such as pet selling or dog breeding, they will hold details on the level of enforcement activity being undertaken in their area.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting on where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: <a href="https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange and backed a set of Minimum Standards that PAAG developed which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling and one of our key reforms in the Action Plan on Animal Welfare is to end this abhorrent, cruel practice and low-welfare pet imports. Through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill currently before Parliament, we will introduce new powers to tackle the unethical trade of puppy smuggling by reducing the number of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) that can travel under pet travel rules. The Bill will also include powers for the Government to bring in further restrictions on the movement of pets on welfare grounds, for example by increasing the minimum age of imported puppies and restricting the import of pregnant dogs and dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears and tails.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 27220 27221 question first answered 13/07/2021 13:47:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1341799

registered interest
date	29/06/2021
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	Dogs: 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, whether protection dogs are recognised as a specific class of dog under UK legislation.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	24119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2021 answer text <p>Protection dogs, or guard dogs, are defined in the Guard Dogs Act (1975) as a dog which is being used to protect premises; or property kept on the premises; or a person guarding the premises or such property.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare Act (2006) provide protection for all animals under the control of man. Protection dogs are included within this definition so are covered by all of the Act’s provisions. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 which came into force on the 29 June 2021 increased the maximum penalties available for cases of cruelty under the Act, and applies to protection dogs as well as service and other animals.</p><p> </p><p>The Guard Dogs Act (1975) ensures that applications for a licence to operate guard dog kennels are appropriately assessed by the relevant local authority, and the act allows local authorities to assess applications in line with any conditions it sees fit. Where guard dog kennels fall within the scope of the statutory guidance published in support of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations (2018) then those standards would apply. Where a licensee is convicted of an animal welfare offence then their licence may be revoked or suspended by the court.</p><p> </p><p>Protection dogs already receive the same protections as other dogs and this will continue to be the case where existing animal welfare legislation is revised or new legislation is proposed.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 24120 question first answered 07/07/2021 14:29:14 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1341800

registered interest
date	29/06/2021
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	Dogs: 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, where and how protection dogs are covered by the provisions of (a) the Animal Welfare Act 2006, (b) the Guard Dogs Act 1975 and (c) proposed improvements to animal welfare legislation.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	24120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2021 answer text <p>Protection dogs, or guard dogs, are defined in the Guard Dogs Act (1975) as a dog which is being used to protect premises; or property kept on the premises; or a person guarding the premises or such property.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare Act (2006) provide protection for all animals under the control of man. Protection dogs are included within this definition so are covered by all of the Act’s provisions. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 which came into force on the 29 June 2021 increased the maximum penalties available for cases of cruelty under the Act, and applies to protection dogs as well as service and other animals.</p><p> </p><p>The Guard Dogs Act (1975) ensures that applications for a licence to operate guard dog kennels are appropriately assessed by the relevant local authority, and the act allows local authorities to assess applications in line with any conditions it sees fit. Where guard dog kennels fall within the scope of the statutory guidance published in support of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations (2018) then those standards would apply. Where a licensee is convicted of an animal welfare offence then their licence may be revoked or suspended by the court.</p><p> </p><p>Protection dogs already receive the same protections as other dogs and this will continue to be the case where existing animal welfare legislation is revised or new legislation is proposed.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 24119 question first answered 07/07/2021 14:29:14 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1316880

registered interest
date	20/05/2021
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	Dogs: 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 the steps the Government is taking to implement the ban on ear cropping dogs in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	4718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/05/2021 answer text <p>Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is currently an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation e.g. where it is not carried out for medical purposes, including the cropping of a dog’s ears. The procedure is considered unnecessary and compromises the animal’s welfare. Once the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 comes into force on the 29 June 2021, anyone convicted of such an offence faces being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.</p><p> </p><p>This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firmer approach to cases of illegally cropping a dog’s ears and other forms of cruelty such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, or gross neglect of farm animals.</p><p> </p><p>On 12 May 2021 the Government published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare. This is a wide-reaching and ambitious plan to set out our current and future work on animal welfare. The Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling and one of our key reforms in the plan is to end the abhorrent, cruel practice of puppy smuggling and low-welfare pet imports. We are planning to bring in powers that will allow us to prohibit the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs into Great Britain that have been subject to low welfare practices, such as ear cropping, in line with our domestic legislation on these practices.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/05/2021 13:23:05 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1304593

registered interest
date	22/03/2021
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	Dogs: 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, when the research on responsible dog ownership his Department has commissioned from Middlesex University is planned to be completed; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	172912
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2021 answer text <p>Middlesex University’s draft report on measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible ownership was submitted to Defra this month (March 2021). The report is currently being peer reviewed and will be finalised in light of peer review comments. Our intention is to publish the final report later this year.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 25/03/2021 13:48:40 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy