Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The issue of pet theft is causing significant distress among communities.
What steps his Department is taking through the criminal justice system to tackle pet theft.
The Government recognise the deep distress that is caused when a pet is stolen, and the pet theft taskforce carried out a thorough investigation of this issue. Its excellent report, published earlier this month, contains a comprehensive set of recommendations that will allow us to tackle this issue head on.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide specific steps or timeline for implementation of the recommendations.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
Over 2,000 pet dogs were reported stolen last year, highlighting the need for urgent action.
As a fellow animal lover, Mr Speaker, I know that you, like me, will appreciate the extreme distress that the theft of a much loved family pet can cause. These measures cannot come soon enough, so can the Justice Secretary confirm how soon they will be brought forward to tackle pet theft?
I reassure my hon. Friend that we are already working on the new proposed offence of pet abduction and that work is already under way with many of the other recommendations stemming from the report, such as the review of microchipping and improvements in the recording of these offences.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a specific timeline for implementation.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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The taskforce recommended creating an offence of pet abduction to better reflect the emotional impact on owners.
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his work on bringing criminals to book with the much needed criminal offence of pet theft. Does he agree that it is important that the sentence for this offence, when determined, will reflect the unique emotional suffering caused by the theft of a beloved pet, and will he ensure that that is reflected?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The use of the term “abduction” is a crucial reflection of the fact that these are sentient beings; they are not mere chattels or goods. The emotional effect both on the pets and their owners has to be taken into account.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide specifics about sentencing guidelines.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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The department is working on a new offence of pet abduction and expanding pet ownership databases.
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his response and for his recent visit to our Crown court in Lincoln castle, the magistrates court in the city and Her Majesty's prison Lincoln, none of which are up for sale, Mr Speaker, but the judge's lodgings are, if you are interested. Pets are not just animals; they are often members of families, and many of my constituents in Lincoln would welcome changes to ensure that we protect our pets to the highest possible degree. As well as strengthening prosecution powers through the pet abduction offence and expanding pet ownership databases, does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that we must educate prospective owners to buy pets only from reputable breeders and potentially encompass farm animals in the same legislation?
My hon. Friend hits the nail on the head. The idea that buying an animal by the side of the road or in a garage forecourt for cash is somehow legitimate trade is clearly wrong. I am grateful to colleagues at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for doing important work on promoting safer purchasing through the “Petfished” campaign.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not commit to educating prospective owners or including farm animals.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The shadow Justice Secretary tabled an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill regarding pet theft.
I rarely congratulate the Justice Secretary, but I do on this issue because he has eventually agreed with Her Majesty's loyal Opposition about making pet theft a specific offence. On a serious note, I congratulate all the campaigners on the issue, particularly John Cooper, QC, who has done an awful lot of work on it. The Justice Secretary knows that when the shadow Justice Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy), tabled his amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Tories rejected the idea of a specific offence time and again; I think I am right in saying that the Justice Secretary's argument was that the Theft Act 1968 was sufficient. The taskforce has now reported, but I am not clear on when we expect the legislation to take effect. When can we expect those who are alleged to have stolen pets to face the criminal courts?
I am always grateful for the hon. Gentleman's words of wisdom, but I will just correct him in this respect: there was a general agreement that the use of theft legislation to deal with what were more than goods and chattels just was not an adequate way to reflect not just the taking of a pet, but the suffering of the pet and of the owner. That is why abduction is a much better read-across, as he knows from the matter of child abduction, for example.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide a timeline or specific details on when legislation will take effect.
Response accuracy