I have had a number of constituents contact me in regard to pet theft and the Kept Animals Bill.

I understand this is an important issue to many pet owners, so I am therefore pleased to see that the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill includes powers and provisions to better protect the welfare of pets.

The UK has long led the way on animal welfare. In 2021, the Government published the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, setting out a series of future reforms for this Parliament and beyond. Since the plan was published, the Government has passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, recognising the sentience of vertebrate animals and some invertebrate animals. In addition, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act introduced tougher sentences for animal cruelty, increasing maximum sentences. The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and has recently been extended to cover five more endangered species. In April, the Government made cat microchipping compulsory, helping to reunite pets with their owners.

The Kept Animals Bill, introduced in June 2021, was designed to implement several of the Government’s ambitions for animal welfare. This included banning the live exports of animals, seeking to prevent pet theft, and new measures to tackle livestock worrying. I am aware that the Bill’s multi-issue nature means that there has been considerable scope-creep, and the Bill risks being extended far beyond the original commitments in the Conservative Manifesto that I was elected on and the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. Therefore, the Government will now be taking forward measures in the Kept Animals Bill individually during the remainder of the Parliament.

I am assured that the Government remains fully committed to delivering its manifesto commitments on animal welfare. Having left the EU, the Government is able to and will ban live exports for fattening and slaughter. There have been no live exports from Great Britain since 2020, but legislation will ensure this becomes permanent, and Ministers remain committed to delivering it.

I am particularly pleased to see the uptake in the recommendation, made by the Pet Theft Taskforce, to make the taking and detaining of a dog a new offence. The offence, which was added to the Bill at its Commons Committee stage, is initially limited to the abduction of dogs, in recognition of the Taskforce's finding that seven out of 10 pet abductions in England and Wales involved dogs.

However, the Bill also includes a power to extend the offence to other pets, including cats. At the current stage of the bill, there is the inclusion to extend this offense to “animals of that species are commonly kept as pets”, where such pets are capable of forming bonds with people who keep them and removing an animal of that species from a person with whom it has formed a bond may adversely affect its wellbeing. In fact, 92% of owners see their cats as part of the family, meaning that this provision could have the ability to be applied to cat theft.

The Bill will not overlook the importance of cat protection and will ensure the UK continues to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Animal welfare is an issue I am passionate about, I have previously written on my website regarding animal welfare and puppy smuggling.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It is much appreciated.