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1258826

registered interest
date	07/12/2020
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	Pets: 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 assessment his Department has made of the level of financial support available for the companion animal welfare sector in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	125961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>The welfare of companion animals remains a priority for Defra throughout the coronavirus pandemic. My department continues to work closely with the companion animal welfare sector to understand the concerns of the sector and address how organisations that work with companion animals have been affected by Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has announced various measures to help businesses and charities cope in these strained times whilst remaining completely focussed on managing and eradicating the virus. Organisations can apply for the full range of COVID-19 support measures that the government has made available:</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There has been a change to the eligibility criteria for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). The CBILS requirement for a small to medium-size enterprise to generate more than 50% of its income from trading has been removed for registered charities.</p><p> </p><p>The Charity Commission has also issued comprehensive guidance on running a charity during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Details can be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector</a>. This includes advice for Trustees on managing financial difficulties with respect to use of reserves, restricted funds and provisions to help businesses continue operating and avoid insolvency during this period of economic uncertainty.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, we have worked closely with the sector through the Canine and Feline Sector Group and National Equine Welfare Council to agree and update guidance to animal rescue and rehoming organisations, and other animal charities and businesses. This has enabled them to undertake core operations as far as possible, whilst maintaining compliance with the social distancing rules and need for hygiene precautions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>Defra remains committed to continued engagement with the sector to understand the longer-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, monitor the animal welfare implications of this and offer appropriate advice.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 10/12/2020 16:52:04 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1190799

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
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	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce parity of treatment under the law for people found guilty of harming or injuring a domestic pet to bring them in line with the penalties imposed if a service dog used by the police or an assistance dog used by a visually impaired person is attacked or injured.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	40708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government remains fully committed to animal welfare and supports increasing the maximum custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences from six months to five years. This will enable courts to take a firmer approach to cases such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, or gross neglect of farm animals. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 5 February by Chris Loder MP and is due to have its Second Reading on 10 July. The Government will continue to support the Bill as it makes its way through Parliament. The proposed new maximum sentence of five years would apply to all animals under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and hence would provide parity of treatment under the law for domestic pets, for service dogs used by the police, and for assistance dogs used by visually impaired people.</p><p> </p><p>The new maximum penalty of five years is in line with campaigns by key stakeholders such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Blue Cross, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA. This is a positive step forward in improving animal welfare and will act as a serious deterrent against animal cruelty. The increase to five years' imprisonment will provide one of the toughest sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare and will apply where anyone is convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 05/05/2020 16:42:07 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1140855

registered interest
date	22/07/2019
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	Pets: 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 his Department is taking to ensure that all dog and cat rehoming centres are adequately regulated.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	280182
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2019 answer text <p>As with anyone who owns or keeps animals, rescue and rehoming centres are subject to the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which means they must provide for the animals’ welfare needs and protect them from pain, injury and disease. During the consultation on whether to ban the third party selling of puppies and kittens, carried out last year, we included a question about whether rescue and rehoming centres should be regulated. We need to be confident of the benefits and the impacts of any regulations placed on rescue and rehoming centres, particularly on some of the smaller rescues. We will put forward legislative proposals at the earliest possible point, once we have fully consulted with the sector and understood the impact of any proposals.</p> answering member constituency Richmond Park answering member printed Zac Goldsmith question first answered 06/09/2019 13:51:24 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1136251

registered interest
date	02/07/2019
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	Pets: 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 the Government is taking to ensure the maintenance or improvement of animal welfare standards for pets after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	272133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/07/2019 answer text <p>We have strong animal welfare standards for pets in this country, and have taken recent steps to enhance those protections including banning the third party sale of puppies and kittens, updating the companion animal welfare codes and introducing legislation to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty to 5 years imprisonment. These standards will be maintained when we leave the EU and we will look to strengthen standards further where supported by scientific and veterinary evidence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 10/07/2019 16:10:33 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell