Animal Welfare Bill

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point, which goes to the heart of many of the concerns that have been aired. I have no doubt that that issue will be considered in depth during the Bill’s passage. The new provisions on welfare in clauses 8 to 10 are at the heart of the legislation. The House will be aware of, and regret, the fact that between 750 and 1,000 people are prosecuted every year for causing unnecessary suffering to captive or domestic animals. However, there are cases where, although animals are perhaps not yet suffering, their welfare needs are not being met. Action in such circumstances can currently be taken only against owners of farm livestock. For other captive and domestic animals, the owner can only be invited to take action. The Bill addresses that anomaly by laying a general duty on a person to ensure that the needs of an animal for which he or she is responsible are met, to the extent required by good practice. To comply with that duty, owners and keepers will need to understand their responsibilities and take all reasonable steps to provide for the needs of their animals. There are already many sources of information available to help owners and keepers understand how to look after their animals. The Government will try to help further by producing codes of practice under clause 12, similar to those already widely used for farm animals. In line with undertakings I gave earlier, all such codes will be subject to public consultation and appropriate parliamentary scrutiny. It is a principle of the Bill that responsibility for animals must lie with adults. For that reason, the Bill makes it clear that parents or guardians are responsible in law for the treatment of their children’s animals. The Bill also raises the minimum age at which children can buy pets from 12 to 16 years. Consistent with that approach, clause 9 prevents anyone from giving an animal as a prize to a child under 16 years, unless the child is accompanied by an adult. These provisions will not prevent children from keeping or looking after pets, or from actively learning about the husbandry of animals. Indeed, responsible care and stewardship of animals can be an important aspect of the education of children, but the Bill will ensure that a responsible adult makes the decision about the keeping of a pet. Under clause 10, we have provided powers to make regulations to promote the welfare of animals. These powers will enable us to flesh out, where necessary, the general duty contained in clause 8. Again, they mirror and extend existing provisions for farm livestock. The Bill also gives powers to make licensing or registration schemes.