Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill

Is the Minister aware of the growing concern about the welfare of tethered horses? Many horses ar...

I thank my right hon. Friend for his intervention, and for his concern about horse tethering. I s...

Thirteen years ago in 2006 when the Animal Welfare Act was going through its stages, I proposed a...

I am pleased the Bill is before us today; sometimes these things take time—too often in animal we...

The Minister talked about the extra cost involved. If a case has to go to the Crown court, very o...

Once again, my hon. Friend speaks with authority on the subject, and he can be assured that we ar...

The Bill is hugely welcome. However, I am concerned about the narrowness of its scope, and my inv...

We can talk about that in more detail in Committee, but it is clear that this is about animals th...

I apologise for coming in a bit late. The Minister might have covered this earlier, but will the ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Just to clarify, we are discussing the maximum penal...

Today has been a long time coming. We welcome the Government bringing forward this vital piece of...

I want to thank the hon. Lady for the cross-party support that she has given to get this legislat...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his well-made point, which I think we can all support.

It is...

I took the Animal Welfare Bill through, and I disagree with the hon. Lady’s understanding. It is ...

That is an interesting consideration, and one that will be explored within the legal system. I am...

I thought I was clear. In the case the hon. Lady just referred to, it was the dog that did the ha...

But if any person directs an animal to do such appalling harm, should not that person bear some r...

We should pay tribute to those organisations for all they have done over many years. Battersea Do...

I agree absolutely. There has been huge support for increasing the sentences for animal cruelty, ...

Do the hon. Lady’s comments about the welfare of animals also apply to animals that are bred for ...

All animals need to be looked after to the best of human ability and should not be abused. We nee...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Workington (Sue Hayman). I agree with many o...

I strongly welcome the measures in this short, simple Bill. I emphasise “simple”, because that is...

I thank the hon. Lady for making such an important speech. Does she agree that cruelty and a lack...

I completely agree with the hon. Lady. Indeed, that was a point I made in the Second Reading deba...

I very much agree with what the hon. Lady is saying. Does she agree that as we are towards the en...

I take that point entirely, although it is not the fault of Opposition Members that we are up aga...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith), who has...

Does this measure not try to address that very point? We are all extremely frustrated that a good...

My right hon. Friend, who has years of wisdom and experience, is yet again absolutely right. My h...

I just want to add to the debate something that has not really been discussed. The most recent La...

rose—

I do not think we can have an intervention on an intervention, but the hon. Lady makes a good and...

I am afraid I am. I urge the House also to consider the case of lost dogs, which are now returned...

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have already been speaking for six minutes and I have not even started my...

My hon. Friend mentioned dogs. He will recall that, seven years ago, he and I helped to co-open t...

And the Dogs Trust will be very pleased with that plug that my right hon. Friend has given it. I ...

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all the work that he has done on this subject during his parl...

Embarrassingly, my right hon. Friend recognises that I am susceptible to flattery, but as I am on...

I think that my hon. Friend is suggesting that he would like to see the number of convictions goi...

My hon. Friend articulates the point that, hopefully, this sentencing will be an effective deterr...

It is always a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Southend West (Sir David Amess). There is a...

I thank the hon. Lady for bringing these horrendous stories to the attention of the House; they a...

I really appreciate that sentiment; that was very decent of the right hon. Gentleman. So often th...

I entirely endorse the remarks of my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) ab...

The right hon. Gentleman is right. As I said in my introductory comments, as human beings we have...

It is a great honour to follow the hon. Member for Redcar (Anna Turley), whose stories of Baby an...

I start by paying tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Anna Turley). I am not very go...

I would like to join the Minister in thanking all the Members who have brought us to this point o...

I would like to thank the Members who have made valuable contributions to this important debate. ...

I am grateful to the Minister for the clarification she has given, but let me be clear that, in m...

I entirely agree with the hon. Lady’s point, which is why I am sure the House welcomes what she h...

rose—

I appreciate that the hon. Lady wants to intervene, but if she will allow me to say a few more th...

Will the Minister give way on a point of clarification?

I am going to try to answer the points the hon. Lady made, and I have said that I would then give...

All I wanted to say was that the Minister has twice referred to me as the Member for Bristol West...

I do apologise. The hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) was not here at the start of th...