I understand the pain caused by losing a pet.  They are invaluable members of our families, providing comfort, support, and happiness.

Pet theft is not a simple matter of theft of an item and nor should it be treated as such by the law.  I believe that Parliament should be working together to stop this appalling crime.

I have long supported calls for a new offence of pet theft.  During the passage of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (now Act) last year, I voted for an amendment that would have created a specific pet theft offence but, disappointingly, it was voted down by the Government.

Despite this apparent opposition, in 2021 the Government announced that it would bring forward a new criminal offence for pet abduction in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.  The Bill also includes anti-smuggling protections for pets.

However, in both cases, the new protections would apply only to dogs and puppies, and the Government has rejected calls for them to be extended to cover other pets such as cats and kittens.  Indeed, I raised this disparity with Ministers personally last year, but to no avail.

As recently as February 2023, the Government was asked about extending the offences contained in the Kept Animals Bill to cats, and Mark Spencer, the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, said:

‘We have listened carefully to the views expressed during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill that the new pet abduction offence should be extended to cats.  We are currently considering this issue further.’

I am not encouraged by the fact that, over a year after it announced its intention to legislate against pet thefts, the Government says that it still needs more time to consider whether cats should be covered by the legislation.  My Opposition Colleagues and I are clear, they should.

To make matters worse, there is now a question mark over whether the Bill will pass at all.  It has now been over a year since it was last debated, and the Government has still not set a date for it to return to Parliament for further scrutiny.

I am concerned that there is a real risk that the Bill will run out of time unless it is brought back for debate at the earliest opportunity.  I want to see Ministers do so as a priority; we must fulfil our commitments to improve animal welfare and pet safety.

On 23 February, Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, was asked when the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill would return to the House of Commons.  She
answered by saying:

“I am afraid that business will be announced in the usual way, but I know that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is looking at that Bill.”

The lack of urgency with this Bill is concerning, but I can assure you that my Opposition Colleagues and I will keep pressing the Government to bring it back to Parliament before it runs out of time again.

I can also assure you that I will continue to support the introduction of strong animal welfare policies, including protections against pet theft which apply to cats as well as dogs.