I know that many of you follow what is happening in Parliament on TV and in the news and whilst many people watch Prime Minister’s Questions on a Wednesday, there are many other important debates taking place in the Chamber, in Westminster Hall and other Committee rooms.
Last week we had a debate in Westminster Hall on the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, an issue many of you have written to me about. I have also raised concerns from Alton Towers with Ministers about some parts of the Bill concerning zoos.
The Kept Animals Bill was carried over into this parliamentary session following the Queen’s Speech in May 2022. The Bill was due to have its Remaining Stages in September, however due to the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, this was unable to happen. The recent debate was well-attended with contributions from across the House and MPs calling on the Minister to bring the Bill back to Parliament.
We are a nation of animal lovers and I was a strong supporter of Finn and his owner PC Dave Wardle in their campaign for the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill which became law in 2021. I was also pleased to drop into the Cats Protection event in Parliament recently to show my support.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will bring in some of the world’s strongest protections for pets, livestock and kept wild animals. The Bill includes new restrictions on pet movements into Great Britain, which covers the non-commercial movements of cats, as well as dogs and ferrets. The Bill also contains powers to restrict the import of cats, dogs and ferrets on welfare grounds.
The Minister recognised that there is strong support for the Bill across the House and assured colleagues that it will be brought back as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
