§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Home Department if he proposes to take any action in the light of the report on stray , tethered and abandoned horses and ponies in England and Wales, issued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggIt is already an offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 to cause unnecessary suffering to domestic or captive animals, or to abandon them without reasonable excuse in circumstances likely to cause unnecessary suffering. The maximum penalty for such offences has recently been substantially increased, and proposals to extend the power of disqualification from keeping an animal have been introduced. We believe that with these changes the existing legislation provides adequate remedies for offences of cruelty.